Airgurus CEO sees his fortunes soar

AIRGURUS provides the best solution to time-critical cargo delivery and hazardous cargo transportation needs.

In November last year, Capt. Harry Harvey V. Lero and his team were kept busy flying back and forth to the City of Tacloban to help in the relief operations following the devastation wreaked by Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”

For five weeks, the 38-year-old Lero, founder and CEO of aviation company Airgurus, provided charter services to international organizations, carrying out medical evacuation and distribution of relief items.

“Various international organizations acquired our services, but we also did our part in helping people in the area,” Lero tells the Inquirer.

Medical evacuation is just one of the chartered flight services provided by Airgurus, a company that Lero single-handedly put up from scratch in September 2007.

Airgurus currently offers VIP corporate charters, tours, sling loads, film and TV work, search and rescue and medical evacuation. It also provides services such as aerial photography, flight training, air cargo, exploration drill support, aircraft management, aircraft sales and lease, cloud seeding, spraying, heli sports, traffic reporting and geomapping.

“Our primary clients are insurance companies, prominent people like politicians and celebrities, and individuals who need immediate attention or who suffer from an emergency condition while on vacation and need to be airlifted to a medical institution,” Lero says of his 7-year-old company.

The venture was not a surprising move for Lero, having been born to a family of pilots. His grandfather, he relates, was a member of the Air Force, while his dad was a pilot for a private company. There was thus no other profession more enticing and more lucrative for him.

“It was a dream because I saw it from my grandfather. He would always take me to the airport to see old Air Force planes and, every Sunday, we go to this area in Fairview where a lot of people would play with their RC (remote control) planes and choppers,” Lero recalls.

“I was really amazed with aircraft ever since I was a kid. So one day I said to myself: I think this is something that I would like to do when I grow up, to fly planes and choppers and don’t have any boss but myself.”

Growing up, Lero would often find himself playing near airstrips, enjoying the sight of planes and helicopters taking off and landing.

“My dad had the greatest influence on me. Whenever he was assigned to a particular province or area, the family would also go. It was my dad who introduced me to choppers, planes and everything about aviation,” Lero shares, remembering how fortunate he was to see his father take to the skies everyday.

DEDICATED to help. Lero and his team provided medical air transportation after ‘Yolanda’ struck Tacloban. photo: www.airgurus.

“One of the houses we stayed in, was actually located beside an airstrip. So, at a young age, I was already exposed to planes. We lived in various parts of the country like Davao and Samar and in all those years of travel, my passion for flying never wavered.”

In college, he took up a four-year business management course to qualify for a position in an airline company—seen as a perfect starting point to pursue a lifelong dream.

“I took up business management because the airline company required us to be a graduate of any course. That’s one course I considered easy. After that, I went to three flying schools. I started at Philsca where I took commercial ground and instrument rating ground course, then I transferred to Asian Aviation Academy. Meanwhile, I got my helicopter license after taking a few courses and much training at Airworks,” he adds.

After getting his license, Lero went to Canada and the United States for further training and to attend special courses.

Despite the hard work he had put in, Lero did not immediately become a pilot as some of the airline companies in the United States and the Philippines considered him either too young for the job or simply too inexperienced to handle such daunting task.

To keep himself busy, Lero then took a certified nurse assistant course in the United States in 2001, and later on became a registered nurse, a move which proved to be beneficial for Airgurus.

Lero however felt the urge to go back to the Philippines to try his luck anew, and pursue his first love, which is flying planes. Unfortunately for him, he still had a hard time finding a job as a pilot.

“So, I said to myself, maybe I should just put up my own company and fly my own chopper so I could fly anytime I want. But of course, back then, it was hard to buy your own aircraft because it was so expensive,” he says.

“So I started out by renting aircraft from another company. And since I was already licensed, they allowed me to fly. That’s how I started. I met a lot of people within that span of time. Finally, I was able to buy our own aircraft with the help of some friends.”

In 2009, two years after he had set up his company, Lero was finally able to acquire his first helicopter. The second-hand helicopter had cost him around P50 million, an investment he funded through loans.

AIRGURUS provides swift response to medical emergencies and disasters. photo: www.airgurus.com

“Luckily for me, after 15 months, I was able to pay off the chopper and return the money I borrowed. I guess for any business, if you’re able to get your return of investments in that short span of time that’s already very good. So that’s how Airgurus started, and everything just materialized for us,” Lero relates.

At present, Lero has around 40 people helping him run the business, including pilots, mechanics, sales personnel and a management staff.

He admits that handling the business may be difficult at times, as the company has to deal with various issues, sometimes even life and death situations. The rewards, though, are more than enough compensation.

“It’s a big task with no textbook formula to ensure that this would always work out. Imagine, we operate 24/7. So, it is really a challenge especially so that we have to always maintain a high level of safety. Good thing I have my dad who has a good background in the aviation industry while my background in the medical field has helped a lot,” he says.

“I run things unconventionally, and I have my own way of making my people happy. I’m a strict boss of course especially since I invested so much money and time in this business.”

One incentive he offers employees is the use of his residential condominium units at Bonifacio Global City, where the Airgurus office is located.

“I believe in putting my investments in something that is secure, that’s why I invest a lot in real estate. Right now, I have 11 units I bought from Megaworld. I stay in one of those units and the rest is where my employees stay,” Lero shares.

“I let them live in these units, which they share with other employees and it works fine for us because they don’t get late for work and they save on transportation. It’s really a win-win situation. As long as I’m earning, I would like to give back to my people because, without them, I would not be able to get all these transactions and clients,” he adds.

“I am just 38, and I hope to further grow the company and to continue to be of service to the people.”