Rangers take flight with their No1 heavy metal fan

Published on 13/02/2007 02:05

WHEN Rangers manager Walter Smith and his players arrived at Glasgow airport yesterday morning for their trip to Israel for the next round of the UEFA Cup their minds were on the solid silver of the competition's trophy.

But Smith and the team found themselves faced with an altogether different kind of heavy metal when they discovered the Ibrox club's charter flight to Tel Aviv was in the hands of Bruce Dickinson, the lead singer of British rock icons Iron Maiden.

Dickinson, a qualified pilot, indulges his passion working for independent airline Atsraeus.

When he discovered the company had been hired by Rangers for the match against Hapoel Tel Aviv, he volunteered. Dickinson has had an interest in Rangers since Terry Butcher, one of Iron Maiden's biggest fans, played for the club 20 years ago.

Dickinson said: "When I heard that we were taking Rangers out to Israel, I said, 'I'm having that one'."