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Post by flycookie on Oct 27, 2007 12:36:55 GMT 12
 PHOTOCAP: Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson (sans wig) www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Content/displayPrintable.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/26/ncyber126.xml&site=5&page=0Iron Maiden rocker's world cyber flight By Megan Levy and agencies Last Updated: 5:13pm BST 26/10/2007 Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson is about to embark on a gruelling world tour - without stepping foot out of Britain. The heavy metal rock star is joining a group of flight simulator enthusiasts for a marathon "cyber flight" around the world to raise money for charity. For seven days Dickinson, who holds a pilot's licence, will sit on board a home-made flight simulator in a Surrey garage. He will be part of a 17-strong British flight team on a virtual round-the-globe adventure called Simfest. Departing from a virtual Sydney International Airport in Australia on Sunday November 4, the journey will take the team seven days and seven nights. Simfest is part of World-Flight, an annual event in which teams from around the world use home-built flight simulators to fly around the world and raise money for a chosen charity. This year the British cyber pilot team is supporting Cancer Research UK. Gary Oliver and Mark Hastings, who are master-minding the British effort, custom-built their own Boeing 777 flight simulator in Gary's garage. They hope to raise £5,000 for the charity. Gary, 23, from Camberley, said: "It's going to be a bit of a marathon, but there will be 17 of us from around the UK taking on the roles of pilot, co-pilot and cabin crew, so hopefully we will get some sleep." Mark, 33, from Bracknell, Berkshire, said: "We decided to use our growing hobby as a way to raise money for charity." The pilots will fly under as many real-world rules and regulations as possible and will be guided by teams of virtual air traffic controllers using VATSIM, the free global virtual air traffic controller network. Supporters of the mission can follow the flights on web cams and online tracking. Information appearing on telegraph.co.uk is the copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited |
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Post by FlyNavy on Oct 27, 2007 14:31:55 GMT 12
So he plays air guitar then? :-)
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Post by Radialicious on Oct 27, 2007 20:59:21 GMT 12
Bruce Dickinson holds more than just a pilots licence. He is a B757 F/O for a European charter airline. He is also the host of Flying Heavy Metal - a documentary channel TV show akin to some car shows. He travels around the world sampling airliners and giving the viewership an insight into these machines. Also covered is all the nitty gritty backroom stuff about big airliners both jet and piston. Great telly. He is incredibly well spoken and presents his show in a manner that makes you look twice to see the rock star in him.
Look up the lyrics to Iron Maiden's 'Aces High' and you will see that aviation has always been part of his gig.
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Post by FlyNavy on Oct 27, 2007 21:19:22 GMT 12
Buy the MP3 version for 19c or album for 51c at: www.gomusic.ru/album.aspx?id=25159(listen to preview also) www.lyricsfreak.com/i/iron+maiden/aces+high_20067955.htmlIron Maiden: "Aces High" There goes the siren that warns of the air raid Then comes the sound of the guns sending flak Out for the scramble weve got to get airborne Got to get up for the coming attack. Jump in the cockpit and start up the engines Remove all the wheelblocks theres no time to waste Gathering speed as we head down the runway Gotta get airborne before its too late. Running, scrambling, flying Rolling, turning, diving, going in again Run, live to fly, fly to live, do or die Run, live to fly, fly to live. aces high. Move in to fire at the mainstream of bombers Let off a sharp burst and then turn away Roll over, spin round and come in behind them Move to their blindsides and firing again. Bandits at 8 oclock move in behind us Ten me-109s out of the sun Ascending and turning our spitfires to face them Heading straight for them I press down my guns Rolling, turning, diving Rolling, turning, diving, going in again Run, live to fly, fly to live, do or die Run, live to fly, fly to live, aces high. |
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Post by flyjoe180 on Oct 29, 2007 9:47:01 GMT 12
Never liked Iron Maiden. Good on Dickinson for doing this charity thing though.
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Post by flycookie on Oct 30, 2007 16:07:21 GMT 12
Good info there, Radialicious. I had no idea. Sounds like an interesting and, indeed, decent bloke.
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Post by Martin Wienert on Dec 24, 2007 22:20:04 GMT 12
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Post by flyjoe180 on Dec 26, 2007 9:18:27 GMT 12
Interesting scheme to say the least!
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Post by flycookie on Feb 6, 2008 15:18:03 GMT 12
www.theage.com.au/news/gig-previews--reviews/iron-maiden/2008/02/05/1202090405851.html  Iron Maiden Patrick Donovan February 5, 2008 Some bands achieve such colossal levels of success that they get to ride in their own jet. But very few actually fly the damn things themselves. British heavy metal kings Iron Maiden have taken the DIY ethos to a new level — albeit with a much bigger budget than most heavy metal bands — when singer Bruce Dickinson flew his band into the country this week in a specially refitted Boeing 757. For its Somewhere Back In Time world tour, Dickinson will navigate the chartered jet, nicknamed "Eddie" after its zombie mascot, 80,000 kilometres in 49 days from India to Australia, around South America before finishing in North America. The band and its entourage of 72 production crew, roadies and family are flying with instruments and the massive production set that includes pyramids, cyborgs and special effects. There is no way, says Dickinson, that the band could squeeze 21 concerts to 400,000 fans in 19 cities without its own plane. "Freight routes don't follow rock'n'roll tours," he says. "So what could be done in six weeks usually takes twice as long. Then all of the costs of keeping everyone on tour blow out, and the bean counters say, 'You'll lose so much money going to the southern hemisphere, it's not worth it.' But the plane joins the world up like it's our backyard." Dickinson may have his hands full up front, but does the private charter allow for frolicking by other band members? "Most of the guys have brought their families, so the frolicking is saved for the hotel," he says. Many talented musicians, from Buddy Holly to Otis Redding and Stevie Ray Vaughan, have lost their lives in plane or helicopter crashes. Does this weigh on the captain's mind? "Traditionally certain elements of the music industry have tried to cut corners to get a cheap deal. In most cases, the pilots were unqualified or the planes were old and badly maintained. Our engineer is flying with us — and that's the greatest vote of confidence you can have: when the engineer is prepared to fly on his own plane." The popularity of the band, which has sold more than 100 million albums, continues to swell, despite releasing their best chart-topping album The Number of the Beast 24 years ago. Much of this has to do with the band's iconic artwork that results in people buying the T-shirts before the albums. "Eddie (the band's mascot) is a huge asset," admits Dickinson, "but without the music to back it up, he's just a cardboard cut-out."
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Post by vs on Feb 6, 2008 18:39:46 GMT 12
I have already mentioned his "flying heavy metal" series before which as I have mentioned is the best airliner documentry series I have ever seen. It really is very well done!
I have met a few flight attendents who have worked with Captain Dickenson and they say he is a fantastic and very down to earth guy
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Post by lumpy on Feb 6, 2008 19:19:31 GMT 12
So even rockers are actually human eh ? Seriously though its astounding how talented the man must be to maintain not one , but two careers that would normally require %100 comittment each !Im not much of an " Iron Maiden " fan , but I agree " Flying heavy metal " was pretty dam good
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Post by Naki on Feb 6, 2008 20:44:32 GMT 12
Flying Heavy Metal ws great - I would love to get it on DVD.
Bruce Dickinson is pretty amazing guy - he also represented Britain at the Olympics in Fencing. He is also into tanks (the military kind) in a big way .
The lead singer of the US Punk Pop band, Offspring (Dexter Holland) also has an ATP. He owns and flys a Cessna CJ2 (he also has or did own a Mooney).
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Post by stu on Feb 6, 2008 21:16:29 GMT 12
Look up the lyrics to Iron Maiden's 'Aces High' and you will see that aviation has always been part of his gig.  Iron Maiden - Aces High Lyrics
There goes the siren that warns of the air raid
Then comes the sound of the guns sending flak
Out for the scramble we've got to get airborne
Got to get up for the coming attack.
Jump in the cockpit and start up the engines
Remove all the wheel blocks
there's no time to waste
Gathering speed as we heed down the runway
Gotta get airborne before it's too late
Running, scrambling, flying
Rolling, turning, diving, going in again
Run, live to fly, fly to live, do or die
Run, live to fly, fly to live, Aces high
Move in to fire at the mainstream of bombers
Let off a sharp burst and then turn away
Roll over, spin round and come in behind them
Move to their blindsides and firing again
Bandits at 8 o'clock move in behind us
Ten ME - 109's out of the sun
Ascending and turning out spitfires to face them
Heading straight for them I press my guns.
Rolling, turning, diving
Rolling, turning, diving, goin' again
Run, live to fly, fly to live, do or die
Run, live to fly, fly to live, Aces high. |
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Post by stu on Feb 6, 2008 21:20:47 GMT 12
also .....
Iron Maiden - Tailgunner Lyrics
Trace your way back 50 years
To the Glow of Dresden - blood and tears
In the black above by the cruel searchlight
Men will die and men will fight - yeah!
Who shot who and who fired first?
Dripping death to whet the bloodthirst
No radar lock on - skin and bone
The bomber boys are going home
[Chorus]
Climb into the sky never wonder why - Tailgunner
You're a Tailgunner
[repeat]
Nail that Fokker kill that son,
Gonna blow your guts out with my gun,
The weather forecasts good for War
Cologne and Frankfurt? have some more!
Tail end Charlie in the boiling sky
The Enola Gay was my last try
Now that this Tailgunner's gone
No more Bombers (just one big bomb)
[Chorus]
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Post by Radialicious on Feb 11, 2008 20:50:51 GMT 12
LOL! Bruce can't hide his roots in that shot through his cockpit window. The photo underneath is interesting in that all the other members are almost identical to how they were when they last all played together. However the frontman has had a haircut and now wears cargopants and sneakers!
The Aces High cover shows a surprising amount of attention to detail (Spitfire wing outlines and Messerchmitt tailpane struts) but there are a couple of oops's. A control wheel ala P-39 and an attacking pilot not looking through his gunsight. HOWEVER,,,,, the pilot is an apparent zombie with a steel clip holding his upper skull on, already has bullet holes in his face and is in serious need of cosmetic and dental assistance. But hey that's rock and roll! Eddie is a constant in the Iron Maiden record cover library.
My mate went to Oz for the concert and hasn't stopped raving. He is much like the rest of the band - tight jeans, long hair etc etc. His long hair however is thinning out quite a bit........
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Post by stu on Feb 12, 2008 8:00:33 GMT 12
Whoops ... must check the thread more closely to make sure I'm not repeating what somebody else has already done, e.g. Aces High lyrics .... D'oh.
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Post by FlyNavy on Mar 21, 2008 19:53:10 GMT 12
Maidens of Iron in Oz:   |
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Post by haughtney1 on Mar 22, 2008 11:44:14 GMT 12
As a newbie to these boards..I couldn't help but notice the thread on Iron Maiden..and particularly Bruce.
I am fortunate enough to have worked with and know Bruce quite well. He is about as far removed from a rock and roll kinda guy as you are ever likely to meet...although he tells a good story or two!
When I met Bruce, it was as a new First Officer about to embark on a type rating course on the Boeing 757, he was the tutor who was teaching a group of us the airline specific performance requirements that we would later use in day to day line flying operations.
Bruce at the time was a Senior First officer, who had up to that time flown light piston twins quite extensively, the 737 classic/NG and then the 757, he was also at the time just finishing the "flying heavy metal" TV programme for Discovery..whilst hosting a radio show a couple of nights a week..and finalising tour dates for a short tour of scandinavia.
That in essence sums Bruce up..he is one of lifes over achievers..he was even good enough to be selected to represent the UK in fencing at the olympics.
Bruce achieved a command on the 757 about 18 months ago and continues to fly that aircraft for Astraeus airlines based at London Gatwick.
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Post by flyjoe180 on Mar 23, 2008 9:03:57 GMT 12
Very cool indeed. Thanks for the background info there Steve, Bruce sounds like a hard worker indeed.
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Post by Naki on Mar 23, 2008 16:14:46 GMT 12
Wow awesome you have met him - just been watching "100 Top Bogan Hits" (yea I know I'm orginally from Bogan ville the Naki and I lived in West Auckland for a while) on C4 I see Iron Maiden is in the top ten picks with "Run to the Hills"
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