Promote your company to the global vertical aviation industry through the VAI Member Spotlight, a free benefit for VAI member companies. Want to be featured? If you’re not already enjoying the many benefits our members receive, join VAI today! VAI Member Spotlight: Astrum Helicopters, Belize City, Belize The Caribbean operator offers private air tours, charter flights, and other services using Bell 407 and Bell 206B-3 helicopters. By Jen Boyer Gustavo Giron Jr. and his late father, Gustavo Giron Sr., founded Belize’s first helicopter company, Astrum Helicopters, in 2006. A Caribbean country, Belize features hundreds of resorts and tourist destinations, many of which are offshore, on private islands, or in remote areas. The father and son’s vision in founding the company was to develop a rotorcraft service that provides value to visitors and helps promote the country’s popularity as a destination for tourists. A third-generation pilot, Giron Jr. is now CEO of Astrum. The company provides FAA Part 135 private helicopter tours and airport transfers to select resorts in Belize with its fleet of Bell 407 and Bell 206B-3 helicopters. Experienced Team Chief pilot Jon Bourke’s extensive experience includes flying throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and North, Central, and South America. In addition to his experience as a charter pilot, Bourke is a veteran aerial firefighting and search-and-rescue pilot. He previously served as an FAA Part 135, 133, and 137 chief pilot, instructor, and check airman for three other companies, including Helicopter Express in Atlanta, Georgia. One of the keys to Astrum’s success is offering curated experiences for discerning guests. The Astrum team works with more than 20 resorts and destinations—many on secluded private islands—to provide charter services for guests arriving from Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (MZBZ). Visitors have the option of chartering the aircraft directly to their destination or choosing a scenic route that allows them to take in some of Belize’s natural wonders, including Belize Barrier Reef, the world’s second-largest barrier reef (after the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia), which features numerous atolls and cays, Victoria Peak, and Maya ruins. Great Blue Hole Tours One of Astrum’s main attractions is its private tours to the Great Blue Hole, made famous in 1971 by Jacques Cousteau when he brought his research vessel, Calypso, to chart the depths of the sinkhole. Over 1,000 ft. across and 400 ft. deep, the Great Blue Hole is a scuba diving destination in the Lighthouse Reef. Guests on the tour see the surrounding reef, shipwrecks, the full expanse of the hole from above, and wildlife ranging from dolphins and stingrays to manatees and sharks. The Great Blue Hole tour can include champagne and chocolates paired with a landing for a scuba diving adventure. The company also offers a variety of other aerial tours around Belize launching out of MZBZ, cruise terminals, and several hotels and resorts. Other Services When not conducting tour and charter operations, Astrum provides specialized services, including search and rescue, aerial surveys, and aerial filming and photography. The operator also provides air medical support for emergencies. Jen Boyer is a journalist and marketing communicator specializing in aviation. She holds commercial, instrument, flight instructor, and instrument instructor ratings in helicopters and a private rating in airplanes.
