IRON MAIDEN Singer Named Marketing Director For ASTRAEUS AIRLINES

According to Travel Trade Gazette, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson has been named marketing director for Astraeus Airlines, which leases aircraft and cabin crew to airlines. He will work with Astraeus chief commercial officer and director of leasing Shaun Monnery, who said the appointment was part of an expansion of the commercial team.

Monnery said, "Bruce is a great communicator, he knows the aviation industry inside-out from both technical and commercial perspectives, and in a demanding industry he is a man who can cope with pressure, whether as a 757 captain or in front of 50,000 IRON MAIDEN fans, or senior airline and aviation managers."

Dickinson added, "This is a marketing role aimed at delivering the Astraeus message and business proposition directly to what is a relatively tight and targeted audience of people and decision-makers in aviation.

"I'm a communicator, clearly I have a background in creative media, and I'm an airline captain, so it all makes great sense and I relish the challenge."

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?'"