In the cockpit and on the stage

For 39 years, from 1963 until it ceased operation in 2002, Air Djibouti was the flag carrier of the small African country of Djibouti. It was never very large, operating only a few airplanes at any one time. Nor was it ever anywhere near the cutting edge of aviation, as the aircraft it did operate were mostly small and anything but new. In fact for the last few years of its existence its entire fleet consisted of a single A310-200.

So why, are we writing about it today? Two reasons: First, because the Djibouti government has decided to relaunch Air Djibouti, initially as a cargo carrier. Passenger operations are planned for next year, but since this is the “Cargo Facts” website, a new cargo carrier is always worth a mention.

The second reason is that today is Friday, and we always like to give our site visitors something interesting and fun for the weekend, and Air Djibouti has signed a memorandum of understanding with UK-based Cardiff Aviation to manage its European operations.

But what, you ask, could possibly be interesting or fun about an MoU between yet another tiny cargo startup and a Welsh MRO you’ve never heard of?

Well, you may never have heard of Cardiff Aviation, but unless you have been deaf for the last 35 years, you’ve certainly heard its founder and President, Bruce Dickinson, who, in addition to running the MRO is also a working 757 and 737 pilot, a Type Rating instructor and Technical instructor on the 737, and…

…and one of the most successful rock musicians of all time. Yes, Bruce Dickinson was, and still is, the lead singer of Iron Maiden, a band that has sold close to 100 million records, won countless awards, performed sold-out shows worldwide for decades, and is still hugely popular.

You can find thousands of Iron Maiden music videos yourself if you want to, but for your weekend viewing pleasure we offer a couple of short videos that will give you a look at Bruce Dickinson the pilot, MRO guy, and general aviation geek.