The lyrics, Jump in the cockpit and start up the engines, Remove all the wheel-blocks there's no time to waste, Gathering speed as we head down the runway, Gotta get airborne before it's too late, might seem like a fantasy or metaphor for your average musician, but not so in the case of enterally youthful frontman Bruce Dickinson of British Metal legends, Iron Maiden. Bruce is a full blown pilot. Since 2008 he has been flying the band and their gear around the world on their custom Boeings named,, Ed Force One. He also flew planes for now-defunct UK charter company, Astraeus, even serving as their director of marketing. After that company folded, Dickinson started his own business, an aviation repair company called Cardiff Aviation. In 2005 he hosted the show, Flying Heavy Metal, where he explored and often flew planes from the history of commercial aviation. In addition to being an aviator, Bruce is a bit of a beer snob. In 2013 he teamed up with Robinsons Brewery to create The Trooper, which was a smash success selling 2.5 million bottles within its first year. Fasten your seat belts and let’s hope he doesn’t combine his love of beer with flying.
Now here a couple of videos for your viewing pleasure.
First up is the opening episode to Flying Heavy Metal. I must say I really enjoyed the show, and Bruce Dickinson is an excellent host. I learned a lot about the history of commercial aviation and its fun to see him fly some of the planes, explain how a jet engine works and walk around a weird plane graveyard in the Mojave Desert.
And lastly, here is a great interview with Bruce from the awesome music documentary Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, by Canadian filmmaker, Sam Dunn. As you can probably tell by now, Dickinson is an excellent speaker with a down to earth personality and doesn’t take himself too seriously.
Alright hope you enjoyed this one.
PS. Thanks to Allen Chapman for the knowledge!
-Z
