According to a published report from the Mirror, NWOBHM legend Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson, who flies the band on tours, has been made an honorary Royal Air Force (RAF) Group Captain. The heavy metal legend was enrolled as a member of the 601 (County of London) Squadron this week as a reward for his long-term support of the RAF. According to the article Dickinson, 61 has a net worth around £90 million trained as a pilot after taking a break from Iron Maiden in the 1990s. He rejoined in 1999, flying his bandmates in Ed Force One, an adapted Boeing 747. The plane’s livery includes the band’s logo and mascot, Eddie, painted on the tail.

Bruce formed an alliance with the RAF in 2008, taking the controls of an MoD-chartered 747 to bring its pilots home from Afghanistan to RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire.