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Comment by merraksh | Hacker News Reader

Another way to get aboard one is to join Iron Maiden:

Somewhat famously, Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson is an Airline Transport Pilot with a type rating in the 747, enabling him to fly his band's own plane.

I watched an interview with him and apparently the reason was it worked out cheaper!

He's a total workaholic to be sure.

I can't imagine flying a 747 for 10-12 hours (from the UK to Brazil), getting off, doing a 3 hour concert, then getting back on the plane and flying to your next gig. Even with a day or two off, that's an insanely hard schedule.

Props to him though, like you said, he claims the band saved a ton of money doing it that way.

> Even with a day or two off, that's an insanely hard schedule.

...not to mention borderline illegal. Yes on long haul flights the pilots can and do sleep, but God hope nothing ever happens.

That's why they had other pilots. Dickinson was flying the plane only if the schedule was loose enough.

I'm wondering whether he could fly the plane with a PPL under FAR part 91, general aviation? Then he wouldn't be subject to airline rest restrictions.

Pretty sure there is a weight limit for PPL? At least I think there is here in Australia.

If memory serves me correctly, I think PPL allows you to fly aircraft up to 5700Kg MTOW. Even one of the 747 engines might bust that limit. :)

From what I recall above a certain MTOW a type rating is required. So, certainly you need multi-engine category & class, the complex, high-performance, and pressurised-cabin endorsement, and a type rating, and then you could fly your 747, but only VFR :)

Here some related discussion:

https://www.pprune.org/jet-blast/266790-john-travolta-his-70...

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091129142010A...

I would love to be a fly on the wall of that first class lounge. :)

Given the age of the band, I'm not sure it's so raucous anymore

Up the irons, Earthdogs!

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