He held the rank of brigadier general in the Colombian Air Force (Spanish: Fuerza Aérea Colombiana).

At the age of 8, he showed interest in aviation and attempted to fly by jumping off the roof of his father's hacienda, La Caldera, using a rack from a window.

Camilo also had a talent for mechanical artifacts and built a steamboat at the age of 13, which his neighbours admired as he navigated the waters near his home.

Cúcuta is also known for having the best railway, the first telephone company "Polanco", the first FORD automobile brought to the city by Italian Enrique Raffo, and the installation of the wireless tower and the first messages transmitted to Europe.

Camilo traveled to Spain with his copilot Joaquín Cayón to purchase an airplane with a license from the French factory Cuadron with an eighty-horsepower Slamson engine.

After testing the machine and learning how it worked, Camilo disassembled the airplane and packed it in wooden boxes to be shipped to Curazao.