In case you didn't know this, IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson (vocals) is a commercial airline pilot and established aviation entrepreneur. Actually, Dickinson pilots "Ed Force One" (MAIDEN's Boeing 757) all around the world!
Recently, Dickinson announced that he has set up Cardiff Aviation Limited to provide specialist aviation technical support services, including training, as well as heavy aircraft maintenance for various jet aircraft types, both narrow and wide body, up to Boeing 757 size. Dickinson and his company are leasing the hangar from the Welsh government. Cardiff Aviation will maintain airliners and other large aircraft for major and independent airlines. It will also have facilities to complete the full range of ancillary aircraft maintenance and training activities and has the expertise and approvals to certify aircraft from many jurisdictions, including the USA
Footage of IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson giving a short video tour of Cardiff Aviation and its 132,000 square feet of hangar and office space at St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, United Kingdom can be seen below.
Commented Dickinson: "We've had fantastic support from the Welsh government — we've been impressed by how pro-active they've been; they've really wanted to make this happen, and we've experienced a level of enthusiasm and drive that has been a delight to behold.
"We're coming into this enterprise with the knowledge that we'll also be bringing business to South Wales — a cautious projection is that we'd expect to create up to a thousand jobs within 18 months based on the level of interest and commitment from aircraft manufacturers and operators. South Wales has long had an association with the aircraft industry and I am delighted that I am able to play a small part in the continuation of that tradition.
"We expect to announce the names of our first clients in May, and we're also currently dealing with expressions of interest from several more major and independent airlines.
"We'll be based in civil aviation buildings, and we're excited to be part of the Welsh Government's Aerospace Enterprise Zone proposals. As an established base, it obviously has all the facilities necessary for the enterprise, including a runway 6,000 feet in length with a Cat 1 DME ILS, meaning it can cope with practically any size of commercial aircraft, including wide-bodied airliners.
"But the added value we can bring to the package is that while the team is expert in the provision of technical services, we also have expertise in aircraft sourcing and leasing, another key aspect to the deployment of a total aviation services package, hopefully including the development of new airline services for South Wales — Cardiff Airport has tremendous potential to challenge the successful English regional airports."
This summer, Bruce Dickinson will be piloting "Ed Force One" as IRON MAIDEN will be touring North America With Alice Cooper!
June (Tickets available NOW):
- Thu 21: Charlotte, NC, USA at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
- Sat 23: Atlanta, GA, USA at Aarons Amphitheatre at Lakewood
- Tue 26: Boston, MA, USA at Comcast Center
- Wed 27: Wantagh, NY, USA at Jones Beach
- Fri 29: Philadelphia, PA, USA at Susquehanna Bank Center
- Sat 30: Washington, DC, USA at Jiffy Lube Live
July (Tickets available NOW):
- Mon 2: Newark, NJ, USA at Prudential Center
- Wed 4: Milwaukee, WI, USA at Marcus Amphitheater - Summerfest
- Thu 5: Chicago, IL, USA at First Midwest Bank
- Sun 8: Quebec City, QC, CANADA at Colisee Pepsi Arena
- Wed 11: Montreal, QC, CANADA at Bell Centre
- Fri 13: Toronto, ON, CANADA at Molson Amphitheater
- Sat 14: Sarnia, ON, CANADA at Bayfest
- Mon 16: Buffalo, NY, USA at Darien Center
- Wed 18: Detroit, MI, USA at DTE Music Theatre
- Thu 19: Indianapolis, IN, USA at Klipsch Music Center
- Sat 21: Cadott, WI, USA at Rock Fest
- Tue 24: Winnipeg, MB, CANADA at MTS Center
- Thu 26: Calgary, AB, CANADA at Scotiabank Saddledome
- Fri 27: Edmonton, AB, CANADA at Rexall Place
- Sun 29: Vancouver, BC, CANADA at Rogers Arena
- Mon 30: Seattle, WA, USA at White River Amphitheatre
August (Tickets available NOW):
- Wed 1: Salt Lake City, UT, USA at USANA Amphitheatre
- Fri 3: San Francisco, CA, USA at Shoreline Amphitheatre
- Mon 6: Phoenix, AZ, USA at Cricket Pavilion
- Thu 9: Irvine, CA, USA at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
- Sun 12: Albuquerque, NM, USA at Hard Rock Pavilion
- Mon 13: Denver, CO, USA at Comfort Dental Amphitheatre / Pepsi Center
- Wed 15: San Antonio, TX, USA at AT&T Center
- Fri 17: Dallas, TX, USA at Gexa Energy Pavilion
- Sat 18: Houston, TX, USA at The Woodlands / Toyota Center
Related links:
Bruce Dickinson's Official Site
Iron Maiden's Official Site
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