IRON MAIDEN Frontman-Turned-Pilot Flies LIVERPOOL FC To Italy For Tonight's Match

According to Click Liverpool, IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson — who has been flying commercial airlines for more than a decade — ferried the members of the Liverpool FC soccer team to Naples for their Europa League clash tonight.

Commented Dickinson: "We've done a lot of footballers.

"We're one of very few airlines to have the FA cup on board. We flew the trophy back from Cardiff and it had its own seat."

Dickinson told BBC News, "I was originally supposed to be going to Iceland and flying down to Las Palmas and Tenerife, but this looked a lot more interesting so I'm flying the team down to Naples.

"People ask me, which do you enjoy more and I honestly can't say, but what I can say is that I am never, ever going to give up singing.

"That's been my life and fortunately I'm in a job where I can get the time off to do it."

Dickinson was recently named marketing director for Astraeus Airlines, which leases aircraft and cabin crew to airlines.

Dickinson, who is a longstanding pilot with Astraeus, told CNN.com in a 2007 interview, "Aviation's been kicking around my family for as long as I can remember; my uncle was in the RAF. But I always thought I was too stupid. I was useless at maths and majored in history at university, so I thought history majors don't become pilots, let alone rock stars. And then our drummer learned to fly so I said if a drummer can learn to fly then anyone can."

He added, "I never dreamed I would end up flying an airliner. I ended up flying IRON MAIDEN around on tour in a little eight-seat, pressurized, twin-engine plane. Basically we were flying round all the world's major airports, flew across the Atlantic and back, which was quite an adventure. At the end I thought I really want to fly something bigger, but I can't afford it — I can't buy my own 707. If I'm going to do that I have to get a job."

On how the thrill of piloting a 757 compares to taking to the stage with MAIDEN:

"It's a different kind of buzz. Obviously you aren't leaping around the flight deck yelling and screaming, but you have to manage situations... Flying at 35,000 feet is an internal thing, really. Whereas 35,000 people, that's just showing off."

On whether he will be hanging up his leopard-skin spandex forever:

"I could never contemplate giving up music. I have to say I've always been interested in planes, the only difference is I started to fly the darn things 15 years ago. I don't see why I should give up either of them. People say 'Why do you need a second job?' I say 'Why do you need to breathe?'"