Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson is putting his pilot's licence to good use by supporting a charity scheme which teaches disabled Brits how to fly.

The rocker, who is a licensed commercial airline pilot, is the vice-patron of the Flying Scholarships for Disabled People (Fsdp) scheme and he met up with a group of recent graduates on Saturday (15Jun13) prior to his band's set at Britain's Download Festival.

He tells the Leicester Mercury, "It's not just about teaching people with disabilities to fly, it's much more than that. It's about creating friendships, and there's a whole community around it and support system that comes with people encouraging each other. It's something I'm very proud to be involved in."