Bruce Dickinson | Aviation Career

Bruce learned to fly recreationally in Florida in the 1990s before getting a commercial airline transport pilot’s licence. He regularly flew Boeing 757s in his role as captain for the British charter airline Astraeus, for whom he also worked as a Marketing Director. Following the closure of Astraeus, Bruce set up his own aircraft business Caerdav (formerly Cardiff Aviation), in 2012 to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft as well as pilot training.

For the 2008–09 Somewhere Back in Time World Tour, Bruce piloted Iron Maiden’s tour plane, Ed Force One, and in 2008, he famously helped to fly Royal Air Force pilots home from Afghanistan, an experience he described as “extremely emotional”.

Bruce was recently appointed as an RAF honorary group captain in the prestigious 601 Squadron, a position which involves him giving advice, acting as an advocate and fulfilling an ambassadorial role.

Bruce Dickinson | Business Angel

Bruce has invested in the British manufacturer of the Airlander HAV (hybrid air vehicle), an eco-friendly helium airship capable of transporting cargo or people to remote corners of the earth. And Pouncer – an edible drone developed by Windhorse Aerospace which can carry humanitarian aid into hard to access disaster areas.

Bruce Dickinson | Writing

Having overcome neck and throat cancer in 2015, Bruce went on to write his memoir, What Does This Button Do?, which was released in 2017 and was The Times #1 Bestseller.

Earlier, during the 1986–1987 Iron Maiden tour, Bruce started writing his first book inspired by the novels of Tom Sharpe. The Adventures of Lord Iffy Boatrace was described by Kerrang! as ‘a satirical swipe at fetishism among the upper classes’.

The novel sold more than 40,000 copies almost immediately, and the publishers asked Bruce to write a sequel, which was published in 1992 and titled The Missionary Position.

Bruce has also turned his hand to scriptwriting, co-authoring Chemical Wedding with director Julian Doyle. The film, in which Bruce played a few small cameo roles and composed the soundtrack, was released in 2008 and starred Simon Callow.

Bruce Dickinson’s | Beer Brewery

In 2013, in collaboration with Robinsons Brewery, Dickinson helped create the Trooper beer, named after the Iron Maiden song. The family-run brewery based in Stockport, England worked with Bruce to develop the beer, which has become highly successful, leading to additional variants and special editions. Its popularity has grown and it is now available in multiple countries.

Bruce’s beer has won multiple Gold medals at the prestigious British Bottlers’ Institute Awards, as well as won awards at the World Beer Awards, Global Beer Masters, and International Beer Challenge.

Celebrating its 8th birthday in 2021, Trooper Beer marked the landmark of 30 million pints being sold.

Bruce Dickinson | Fencing

Bruce started out fencing at the age of 13 at school, and at 15 he won the school fencing competition and became captain of the School team. In his late teens, music started taking over his time and he mostly quit fencing, until the toll of touring persuaded him to pick it up again in 1983. He trained whenever his commitments with Iron Maiden would allow him, competing in regional tournaments in Britain for fun. In the eighties, he trained with the British Olympic squad during the Eighties.

In 1987, Bruce moved to Bonn so that he could be close to the West German National Centre for Fencing, where he trained for six months. By the end of the 1987-1988 season, he was ranked 18th in Britain. In 1989, he and his club side Hemel Hempstead Fencing Club represented Great Britain in the European Cup, after which Bruce was ranked 7th in Britain in the men’s foil discipline.

As of 2024, Bruce is still fencing and he describes the sport as “physical, mental and spiritual. It devours you from the deepest bottom of your soul to the tip of your toes. Every time you enter a game, you offer the opponent the ability to crush your ego. And if it’s an important match then it’s more important than life and death. Mentally, fencing is fiercely brutal and humiliating.”

Bruce Dickinson | Keynote Speaker

Bruce is so much more than just a rock legend. He is a hugely engaging and enigmatic speaker who shares the rich stories of his life and journey as a musician, pilot, fencer, brewer and entrepreneur. Drawing on his wealth of experience for inspiration, Bruce’s world class keynotes explain how the challenges of operating in the seemingly disparate realms of rock music and commercial aviation mirror those of everyday business worlds. Bruce shares how teamwork, communication, forward planning and inevitable setbacks are an opportunity to learn, adapt and successfully move on.

Speaker Topics: 

Bruce’s motivational talks cover a wide range of topics, including:

– From Rock Star to Businessman
– Turning Your Customers into Fans
– Entrepreneurship
– Corporate Culture
– Business Start-Ups
– Business Turnaround
– Risk Management
– The Travel & Aviation Industry
– Team Building
– The Life and Times of Bruce
– Motivation & Inspiration
– Business Creativity

Bruce Dickinson | Awards & Accolades

ASTRAEUS Airlines 

2007: Astraeus Capitan Title – Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden[191]
2010: Astraeus Marketing Director

BBC Radio Awards

2002: Best Music DJ – Sony Award for Bruce Dickinson
2006: Best Rock Programme – Monsters of Rock with Bruce Dickinson
2008: Golden Rock Mike
2010: Best Author’s Programme – BBC Radio 6 Music with Bruce Dickinson 

Bogota International Airport

2009: Awarded Honorary Capitan Title 

Butanan Institute São Paulo

2019: Extraordinarius brucedickinsoni – A new species of Brazilian spider named after Bruce Dickinson.

Congress of Argentina Honours

2019: Relief Salon De Los Pasos Perdidos – State prize for individual Iron Maiden musicians for their contribution to the development of the country’s culture and music. For the first time ever awarded to a foreign artist.

El Salvador Ministry of Tourism

2016: Honorary Visitors of the Country Award 

Film Festival of Sarajevo

2016: Human Rights Award for Scream For Me, Sarajevo
2016: Special Jury Prize for  Scream For Me, Sarajevo
2016: Audience Award for Scream For Me, Sarajevo, Bruce Dickinson
2017: Official Competition Award for Scream For Me, Sarajevo

Golden Raspberry Award

1989: The Worst Original Song – Bring Your Daughter to… the Slaughter
Hollywood’s RockWalk

Hollywood’s RockWalk

2005: RockWalk of Fame Inductee 

Honorary Citizen of Curitiba City

2024: Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)[133]
Honorary Citizen of Sarajevo

2018: Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)[203]
Intelligent Life Magazine

2009: Official Polymath Title – Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)[204][205]
Kart Races São Paulo

2023: Gold Medal Winner – Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)[206]
Matwatches France

2020: Brand Ambasador – Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)[207]
QMUL Engagement and Enterprise Award

2017: Dr Hamit Soyel – The Prize Bruce Dickinson Award for Academic Entrepreneur of the Year

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

2017: Heavy Metal Permanent Exhibition – Bruce Dickinson’s electrick jacket Somewhere in Time Tour 1986/87

Rhode Island International Film Festival

2017: Official Docummentary Award – Scream For Me, Sarajevo

Robinsons Brewery Award

2015: Golden Disc in recognition of 10 million sales
2021: Recognition of 30 million sales 

Rock Aid Armenia

1990: First Charity Gold Record Award & Pledge – Bruce Dickinson, Nicko McBrain, Steve Harris 

Royal Air Force (RAF UK)

2020: RAF Honorary Group Captain – Bruce Dickinson 

Royal Mail Honors

2023: Post stamps series dedicated to the greatest legends of music – Iron Maiden, Bruce as the band’s frontman

São Paulo International Airport

2009: Honorary Capitan Title – Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden[215]

TAM Museu

2011: Official Title Comandante Do Metal Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)[216]

The Sixth April Award

2019: Heroe of the Sarajevo – Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)

Tuzla Film Festival

2017: Best Docummentary – Scream For Me, Sarajevo, Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)[200]

UK British Fencing Veterans

2022: Official Member of BFV – Bruce Dickinson[218]

UK’s National Fencing Team

1987: National Fencing Team Member – Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) 

Universidad Católica del Ecuador

2024: Brand new species of Amazonian lizards named after Bruce Dickinson – Enyalioides Dickinsoni

University do Triângulo

2019: Venezuelan variety of lichens named after Bruce Dickinson – Clusia dickinsoniana J.E. Nascim

University of Helsinki

2019: Honorary Doctor of Philosophy (PhD HC) 

University of Queen Mary

1981: Master’s degree in History – Bruce Dickinson
2011: Honorary Doctor of Music (DMA HC)

Why Book Bruce Dickinson?

Alongside his larger-than-life persona as lead singer for Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson holds a myriad of experience in business, entrepreneurialism, mentoring and creative thinking. All of which make him unique in his ever-expanding professional fields, and in great demand to share the secrets of his proficiency, insight and knowledge.

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book legendary Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson for your next event.

Contact us.