The heavy metal band Iron Maiden is known for its share of aviation-themed songs such as Aces High, Empire Of The Clouds and Death or Glory, as well as having flown around the world on a Boeing 747 dubbed "Ed Force One" while on tour - with its frontman Bruce Dickinson in the captain's chair.
Because of this, it has been claimed that Dickinson once took time off from being a rock star to fly an airliner chartered by Britain's Ministry of Defence on a job to bring Royal Air Force personnel back to the UK from their service in Afghanistan.
Is this true?
VERDICT:
TRUE
Yes, this is true, as Dickinson once had a side gig as a commercial pilot with a charter airline after gaining the necessary certification and qualifications in the 1990s.
Regarding the flight in question, he recounted it at a performance in Kansas, saying that it was a highly emotional experience for him.
"One of the jobs that we had at the airline I worked for was having an aeroplane permanently allocated to the military to go and take people places—not to wars, but to bases. And sometimes we flew people back,” he said.
Dickinson then spoke about the flight where he brought Royal Air Force Regiment soldiers home from service in Afghanistan.
"It was an unusual flight because we were returning them to their actual home base—not to a military airfield. Then they got on a coach and went back to their barracks. Where they were based had a runway, and we were told to go directly there,” he said.
Dickinson noted that the soldiers he and his crew were flying back were cheerful despite having lost people in the course of their duties.
“They were all cheerful, the best passengers you could ever have in the military — I mean, seriously. We flew them into RAF Wittering,” he said.
Dickinson then added that as he and his co-pilot were looking out, both of them were moved by the warm welcome all his passengers were receiving from their families.
"And we were looking out, and all really close to the runway were families, kids, all the families and wives and everybody of all the soldiers, and they were all (holding signs saying) 'You're my hero, daddy' and everything else.
“I mean, it was very emotional. And we had to stop the aeroplane 'cause my co-pilot was welling up, and so was I,” he added.
However, he can no longer legally fly commercial airliners as he is now 65 years old—the age at which both America's Federal Aviation Authority and the International Civil Aviation Organisation mandate that airline pilots retire.
That said, his career continues as a rock star. Iron Maiden's latest studio album, “Senjutsu,” was released in 2021, and the band is going on tour in 2023.
References:
https://pilotweb.aero/news/
https://theaviationgeekclub.
