From musician to pilot
#1
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
From musician to pilot
I've noticed quite a few musicians have left that line of work for one that keeps them on the road: they become pilots. I guess the allure is they get to "tour" and see the world but there's greater job security, no?
So far I got:
Chris DeGarmo, Queensryche (private jets)
Steve Morse, Dixie Dregs. (Commercial pilot, returned to music when he joined Deep Purple in the 90s)
Tim Calvert, Nevermore (private jets, now with SkyWest)
Jesse Landry, In This Moment (just starting out)
Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden (commercial jets, mostly 757s)
Any others?
So far I got:
Chris DeGarmo, Queensryche (private jets)
Steve Morse, Dixie Dregs. (Commercial pilot, returned to music when he joined Deep Purple in the 90s)
Tim Calvert, Nevermore (private jets, now with SkyWest)
Jesse Landry, In This Moment (just starting out)
Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden (commercial jets, mostly 757s)
Any others?
#5
DVD Talk Limited Edition
#10
#13
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Re: From musician to pilot
I've been a Rush fan forever and never knew that.
/embarrassed
Well not everyone can make a living as a musician, after all. Morse quit when the Dregs broke up, DeGarmo left music in 1998 when it was pretty obvious Queensryche and their style of heavy metal was done, Calvert quit Nevermore on getting married, so presume he promised his wife he'd get a more stable line of work.
Dickinson kind of surprised me since Maiden is so consuming. To maintain skills of a heavy commercial bird you gotta stay practiced. Lucky for Bruce he can continue as a pilot when Maiden call it a day and he does not face mandatory retirement at 60 like in the U.S. A lot of people, including Sully Sullenberger, have criticized this policy because only the U.S. does it.
/embarrassed
Dickinson kind of surprised me since Maiden is so consuming. To maintain skills of a heavy commercial bird you gotta stay practiced. Lucky for Bruce he can continue as a pilot when Maiden call it a day and he does not face mandatory retirement at 60 like in the U.S. A lot of people, including Sully Sullenberger, have criticized this policy because only the U.S. does it.
Last edited by Traxan; 09-25-12 at 10:22 PM.
#16
DVD Talk Hero
Re: From musician to pilot
Hell yes. Though he never gave up music (newest album comes out soon), and has actually given up piloting now that he has a family. For a time in the '90s, he was considered to be one of Britain's top aerobatics pilots, rising to the top of the field (doing air shows and historic dogfight recreations).
His brother, who was in his band in the '80s, similarly went on to become a commercial pilot. Numan famously attempted an around-the-world flight in the early '80s, which ended when he had to put down in India and was arrested on suspicion of spying because he was wearing two wristwatches.
Sorry, you know I have to jump in when I smell Numan's name mentioned.
The thing to understand is that the sort of flying that I do is unlike any other. I am an air display pilot. I fly World War 2 combat aeroplanes at exhibitions and air shows all over Europe. As far as I know I am the only musician in the world that does, or has ever done, this kind of flying. I fly ultra low level formation aerobatics in ex military aeroplanes (sorry, 'airplanes' as you put it). We fly about 4 to 6 feet apart, upside down, at high speed, very close to the ground. Not only that but I teach people how to do it and I am an also an examiner (evaluator to give it its proper title) for the British Civil Aviation Authority, which is our governing body for all things to do with aviation.
Sorry, you know I have to jump in when I smell Numan's name mentioned.
#17
DVD Talk Hero
#18
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: From musician to pilot
#24
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: From musician to pilot
Hey, at least he spelled "Rhoads" right - which is something many of his self-proclaimed "greatest fans" fail to do.