Aviation

Bruce's uncle was a mechanic in the RAF and his godfather was a "Trenchard apprentice" (a training programme for RAF aircraft ground crew which lasted between 1920-1966). In the 1980's Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain aqcuired a pilot's license which inspired Bruce to take his first flying lesson in Florida in the early 1990's, out of pure curiosity.

That first lesson lit a spark and Bruce subsequently took classes to get his own license. By 1994 he was certified for twin engined aircraft and used to fly his band between gigs.

"There's certain things with flying, especially instrument-flying, that you need to keep sharp. It's a purely mental exercise and you can't trust any of your senses, so it's actually quite a useful thing to have to bone up on. You've got to keep on top of it, cause you don't want to die".

Commercial License

In 2003 Bruce stepped up a notch and got a license for flying commercial airliners and landed a job flying Boeing 757's for the Astraeus airline. In addition to being a pilot Bruce was also Astraeus's Marketing Director.

Bruce's involvment with Astraeus' marketing let to him being featured in a UK Civil Aviation Authority video on aircraft loading safety in June 2011. He is also a Boeing 737 instructor and in december 2011 Iron Maiden fans had the opportunity to take a lesson of sorts in a 737 flight simulator for 60 minutes.

Captain Bruce Dickinson and an Astraeus 757.

Flying Heavy Metal

In 2005 Bruce hosted a television series produced by Ricochet for Discovery Channel called "Flying Heavy Metal". In five parts Bruce indulges in his love for all things airborne and looks at the history of civil aviation from the De Haviland Tiger Moth biplane to a sneak preview of the then soon to be unveiled Airbus A380. Read more...

Notable flights

In 2006 he flew 200 UK citizens home from Cyprus where they had been airlifted to from Lebanon during the Israel/Hezbollah conflict. During his time with Astraeus Bruce piloted some high-profile flights, such as flying Rangers F.C. and Liverpool F.C. to matches in Israel and Italy in 2007 and 2010 respectively. He also flew a group of British RAF pilots returning home from Afghanistan in 2008.

Ed Force One

In 2008 Iron Maiden chartered an Astraeus airliner for their "Somewhere back in time tour". A Boeing 757-200 (G-OJIB) was painted in Iron Maiden livery and christened "Ed Force One" after a competition on the Iron Maiden website. The aircraft was converted into a combi configuration, where the back half of the fuselage housed all the gear.

The plane was used for the Asian and South American legs of the tour which ended in May 2008. The same concept was repeated for the 2011 The Final Frontier World Tour but this time a different 757 was used (G-STRX) and it had a slightly different livery.

Bruce in the co-pilot's seat in "Ed Force One".

In 2016 Bruce will be flying the band in a Boeing 747 for Iron Maiden's "The Book of Souls tour". The plane is a Boeing 747-400 (TF-AAK) leased from Air Atlanta Icelandic complete with "The Book of Souls"-livery.

Bruce and the "Ed Force One" 747.

Aviation Entrepreneur

In November 2011 Astraeus ceased operations citing lack of contracts. Bruce went on to launch Cardiff Aviation Ltd on 1 May 2012, an aircraft maintenance business based at the Twin Peaks Hangar in St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.

Bruce is a big supporter of Airlander, a concept developed by Hybrid Air Vehichles at RAF Cardington. He has invested in the project and has narrated a short promotion video for the company to attract investors.

Bruce is also a premiere advocate for the Eclipse 550 business jet for One Aviation. One notable flight was when his personal Eclipse was used to fly the turtle Terri to the Canary Islands after she was washed up on a Jersey beach with a damaged shell and a nasty infection.

In the hangar in front of the enormous Airlander at RAF Cardington.

Great War Display Team

Since 2003 Bruce has had a share in a Bucker Jungmann, an old german trainer aircraft from the 1930's, which put him in touch with the Great War Display Team, which re-enacts First World War air battles at airshows across the UK. In 2014 Bruce bought a replica Fokker Dr.I triplane (G-CDXR) which he now flies for the Team.

Bruce made headlines in 2015 when he ran low on fuel in his Fokker Triplane. He opted for an emergency landing at an Royal Air Force Station in Buckinghamshire, England. The RAF issued a statement praising how Bruce handled the situation. “To see such a well-regarded pilot, and world-renowned rock singer, make this decision is great for our student pilots to see. It makes them realize that anyone can find themselves low on fuel due to unforeseen circumstances and that the right decision is to divert.”

The Fokker Dr.I triplane.

Links

Airlander website

Great war display team website