BY KELLY DOLAN, EDITOR B
eing the frontman of a band deemed as the pioneers of the British heavy metal scene is a full time job, yet Bruce Dickinson is able to juggle global stardom and leading one of the most successful heavy metal
bands in history with a host of extracurricular activities. Growing up in the sleepy mining town of Worksop and launching his music career performing gigs at local pubs, Bruce joined Iron Maiden in 1981, spending 12 years in the band before briefly departing on a solo career in 1991.
However, it seemed that Dickinson’s skills far outreached the limits of the band. The musician’s CV lists author, broadcaster, screenwriter, business angel and actor among his many talents, as well as proving his business credentials by launching fencing company Duellist in 1988 and competing in the sport himself, coming 7th in the world’s rankings. When the 90’s hit, Bruce discovered a love of flying and began training for his pilot licence soon after. Intelligent Life even dubbed him a ‘Renaissance Man’ for his prolithic intellect and wide spanning range of expertise. Today, Bruce’s time is taken up by the launch of his company Cardiff Aviation Ltd, a hybrid between aircraft maintenance and a rehab facility centre for aeroplanes, as well as regular world tours with the band. Does a passion for entrepreneurialism override his primary love of music?
“I’m going to be honest - the last thing I want to do in my spare time is listen to music” before turning the tables on the interview with “You’re a writer - after working all day do you fancy reading a novel?”
“The last thing I want to do in my spare time is listen to music”
“I think that is what made me want to try something new. Being an entrepreneur is a bit like that irritating child that keeps asking why. Then an adult answers ‘Because we have always done it that way’ and the response is ‘But why? Why can’t it be done like this?’ and then the next step is ‘well why don’t I do it myself? “My dad was a builder and was forever renovating homes and selling them. My mum ran student housing and we even lived in a hotel for a while so I have always been around entrepreneurialism. My first venture was a company called Duelling and we sold fencing equipment. I noticed there was only one supplier of its kind in the UK and their customer service was awful because they didn’t need to make any effort when they were the only place to buy your gear from. Before I knew it we had captured 50 percent of the UK market and my vision was to establish this brand in the same way we had done in Iron Maiden.
22 entrepreneurcountry
“We then tried to collaborate with the original fencing supplier but it failed because I didn’t get the right people to run the shop and the brand. They didn’t share my vision and I was too busy with Iron Maiden. I sold the business in the end and even though I was a bit annoyed I think to be a success you need to know when to walk away. No matter how well you get on, no matter how many nice dinners you had, if the deals not right it will end in tears. Sometimes you have to cut your losses and get out.”
Soon after, Bruce tells me that he discovered an interest in aviation that would transform his life and utilise his new found business skills. “My godfather was an engineer for the RAF and loved planes, so he would take me to air shows as a kid and tell me stories and I loved it. My Uncle also worked for British Airways so planes were always in the background. I had sort of forgotten about it until our drummer learnt to fly and I went up with him and everything I’d learnt about flying when I was young sort of came back to me. I then took a trial lesson on holiday and said to myself ‘you silly sausage! Why didn’t you do this year’s ago?’
“I enjoyed mission orientation flying and my initial idea was to get a part time job delivering things from one place to another but in the UK you still need an airline pilot licence for that. I started studying and I carried my CV with me everywhere in the hope that I would meet someone somewhere who would give me a shot at it. I then met a chief pilot of an airline in a simulator and he watched me fly and at the end said ‘you’ll be giving me your CV next’ - so I did!
“A few months later on a Friday I got a call from the same pilot asking me what I was doing on Monday and said he had a training course waiting for me at BA. I was ecstatic but my wife’s response was ‘how are you going to do that - you’re in Iron Maiden!’ My answer was simple - I’d worry about that on Monday. I think it’s important to recognise when someone hands you a great opportunity. You just have to do it and worry later.”
And a good decision it was. Fast forward a few years and Bruce was leading a double life as a part-time rock star and commercial airline pilot for UK Charter Airline Astraeus until the company went into administration in 2010. However, Bruce utilised his experience with Astraeus and noticed there was a gap in the market for local maintenance services, with pilots flying as far as Dubai or China to receive expensive repairs and services. By 2012, Bruce had launched Cardiff Aviation Ltd to tackle the problem.
“The whole idea
behind the company was to think outside the box of just a maintenance service and create a niche. There needed to be a bespoke facility.” This is perhaps why the company now holds the crown of Europe’s leading MOT service for aircrafts. “We were at The Farnborough Air Show recently and we targeted the big names with a great response. They told us they have been waiting for a service like ours for a while and we’re really lucky because we were pushing against an open door.”
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