Flying Heavy Metal
Iron Maiden frontman, Bruce Dickinson, is no stranger to heavy metal, nor is the Commemorative Air Force B29 B24 Squadron. With a personal connection to the B-24 Liberator and an accomplished pilot himself, Dickinson was a fitting guest at the CAF's Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center in Dallas, Texas in February 2022 - home of the Commemorative Air Force operated B-29 Superfortress "FiFi" and B-24 Liberator "Diamond Lil."
In addition to touring the world for over 40 years with his iconic band, Bruce is a pilot and has accumulated over 7,000 hours of flight time since obtaining his license in the 1990s. He has previously flown Boeing 757s for a British airline, and most notably flew Iron Maiden on multiple tours around the world in Boeing 737s, 757s, and 747s affectionately dubbed "Ed Force One," a homage to the band's mascot, Eddie. In addition to commercial aviation, Bruce has forayed into the air show scene, flying his replica WW1-era Fokker Dr.I Triplane which was made most famous by German flying ace Manfred Von Richthofen, The Red Baron.
Dickinson's visit was not only special because of his passion for historic aviation, but also a deep personal connection to one of the two heavy bombers that call the Education Center's 30,000 sq ft hangar home. Bruce's great uncle served as a B-24 crewmember with the Royal Air Force's 200 Squadron during WWII. Bruce credits his great uncle for getting him into aviation and cherished the opportunity to get up close and personal with the world's only regularly flying example.
After touring the hangar, nose art gallery, and graciously agreeing to a sit-down interview, Dickinson was treated to a flight in a 1953 T-34A Mentor trainer operated by the CAF T-34 Sponsor Group where he was able to get some stick time prior to his spoken-word show at the nearby Majestic Theatre in Downtown Dallas.
A special thanks to our friends at Buffalo Airways for helping set up this wonderful visit and of course, thanks to Bruce for making time to come visit our beloved warbirds!
