Nicko McBrain Hails Captain Dickinson

Not many musicians can claim to possess a commercial pilot's license. But few musicians are Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson. The longtime vocalist pulled double duty on the band's last tour, 'Somewhere Back in Time,' which is documented in the new 'Iron Maiden: Flight 666' documentary.

"Bruce worked out the logistics," says drummer Nicko McBrain about how Maiden accomplished the incredible feat of chronicling a tour while their singer carted them to and fro on a jet, in what had to be an insurance nightmare. "There are so many regulations in civil aviation. We had to work out what you could and could not do." One of the regulations included having three alternate captains on hand besides Dickinson, in case the singer didn't get enough sleep post-show and was thus rendered unable to fly.

Maiden invited a camera crew to film the mile high festivities, recording over 500 hours of footage that had to be condensed into a two-hour film. "Rod Smallwood deserves the credit for the fluidity of the doc," McBrain also told Noisecreep. "It's a stunning piece of work. The perspective is 'fly on the wall.' It's Maiden, warts and all."

McBrain doesn't hesitate for a millisecond to say he felt 100% safe in Bruce's hands, laughing, "He's the singer of a bloody metal band and he's at the front of the plane. He's a phenomenal pilot, even if there have been a couple of dodgy landings! But in all seriousness, to achieve a commercial pilot's rating, you have to go through a lot of training. It's not just a certificate. You have to be a student of aviation."

McBrain himself is an aviator with a twin rating, saying, "I have sat alongside Bruce in the right seat while he's flying. I have flown for many years. I didn't have that passion that Bruce has. I did love it and got my ratings, but I got into golf and let flying fall by the wayside. My wife is having a nudge on me, asking if we can fly to golf courses."