Bruce Dickinson to recreate WW1 'dogfight' over Sonisphere

There will be a very special treat for all attending Sonisphere Festival on Saturday July 5th. The Great War Display Team, a group of pilots which includes IRON MAIDEN vocalist Bruce Dickinson among its illustrious members, will stage a spectacular 12 minute air display in the skies above Knebworth at approximately 6pm.

This unique and audacious "dogfight" will commemorate the 100th Anniversary of The Great War; a 21st Century tribute to the daring - and often downright dangerous - exploits of both the English and German pilots who ruled Europe's skies between 1914-1918.

The show features nine aircraft of 5 different types, all exact replicas of the planes used in WW1 combat. Bruce will be flying his very own Fokker Dr1 Triplane, the same model used by infamous German flying ace Manfred von Richthofen aka The Red Baron. Also from the German side there is a Junkers CL1. Of the British planes in the show, there is a Sopwith Triplane, a BE2c and a SE5a.

The other members of this elite team alongside Bruce are Alex Truman, Dan Griffith, Dave Linney, Ernie Hoblyn, Gordon Brander, Matthew Boddington, Peter Bond, Richard Piper, Vic Lockwood and Will Greenwood. The Great War Display Team performs re-enactments throughout the UK and Europe and is proudly sponsored by Iron Maiden's very own TROOPER beer.

Comments Bruce "The air show over Sonisphere is something I'm really excited about and we're determined to put on an unforgettable display for everyone. We're planning an extravaganza of derring-do, especially when you consider the manoeuvres we'll be performing are all based on true-life battles from a hundred years ago! What some of these fighter pilots achieved back then was nothing short of miraculous given the conditions they were working under and the seriousness of what was at stake. We hope to stage a memorable display which is equally entertaining and poignant, celebrating not only the bravery and heroics of all the pilots involved but remembering the sacrifices made on both side. Having been brought up on Biggles to the horror of my English teachers, the chance to fly a Fokker triplane Dr1 was second only to owning a Sopwith Camel. A share in a Bucker Jungmann and a conversation with Great War team manager Gordon Brander led to a chance to buy a superbly constructed full size replica of the iconic German fighter. Built by the late John Day I intend to display the aircraft with the team in commemoration not just of the Great war, but also as a tribute to one of the UK's premier engineer/builders."

After the air show, Bruce will return to solid ground to get ready for Maiden's headline performance that night, on the final date of their MAIDEN ENGLAND world tour.

LINE UP SO FAR:

Friday

APOLLO STAGE:

THE PRODIGY
LIMP BIZKIT
HIM
BAND OF SKULLS
GARY NUMAN
ANTI-FLAG
THE DEFILED

BOHEMIA
ELECTRIC WIZARD
ANTHRAX (PERFORMING AMONG THE LIVING)
65DAYSOFSTATIC
ATARI TEENAGE RIOT
BAM MARGERA'S FUCKFACE UNSTOPPABLE
DEVIL YOU KNOW
COMEBACK KID
YASHIN
CANTERBURY
LOSTALONE
HOUNDS

JAGERMEISTER & SATELLITE STAGE
CARNIFEX
BRUTALITY WILL PREVAIL
TRC
LITTLE MATADOR
MAX RAPTOR
MALEFICE
STRAIGHT LINES
EMP!RE
BLACK DOGS
LOVE ZOMBIES
SHRINE
GLASS CITY VICE

Saturday

APOLLO STAGE:
IRON MAIDEN
DEFTONES
FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS
ANTHRAX
GHOST
BABYMETAL
TESSERACT


SATURN STAGE:
SLAYER
CARCASS
THE WINERY DOGS
CHAS & DAVE
ALESTORM

BOHEMIA & OTHER STAGES:
THE SISTERS OF MERCY
NEW MODEL ARMY
DOG EAT DOG PLAYING ALL BORO KINGS
SEBASTIAN BACH
THE VIRGINMARYS
RECKLESS LOVE
BLITZ KIDS
VOODOO SIX

JAGERMEISTER & SATELLITE STAGE
BLEED FROM WITHIN
THE SAFETY FIRE
STAMPIN GROUND
EUREKA MACHINES
GLAMOUR OF THE KILL
THE HELL
BROKEN HANDS
THE LOUNGE KITTENS
ZICO CHAIN
FORT HOPE
RIVAL STATE
COLLIBUS
STORMZONE
THE RAVEN AGE
THE WILD LIES
EMPIRE KILL

Sunday

APOLLO STAGE:
METALLICA
ALICE IN CHAINS
MASTODON
AIRBOURNE
DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT
GOJIRA

SATURN STAGE:
DREAM THEATER
DROPKICK MURPHYS
REEL BIG FISH
KARNIVOOL
PROTEST THE HERO
BLACK SPIDERS


BOHEMIA & OTHER STAGES:
THERAPY? (Performing Infernal Love)
GALLOWS
THE BRONX
CHIODOS
TRUCKFIGHTERS
KERBDOG
BO NINGEN
THE CADILLAC THREE

JAGERMEISTER & SATELLITE STAGE
RAGING SPEEDHORN
TRASH TALK
SILVERSTEIN
ANTI-NOWHERE LEAGUE
BEASTMILK
DREGEN
SWEET SAVAGE
ONLY CRIME
THE BOTS
ITCH
PALM READER
THE HYPE THEORY
KROKODIL
THE ONE HUNDRED
OCTOBER FILE

Comedy Line Up:
MAT REED - FIN TAYLOR - ALFIE BROWN - NOISE NEXT DOOR
JOHN HASTINGS - JOHN ROBERTSON - ANDREW O'NEILL - MATT REES PAT CAHILL - ALFIE BROWN - MAT EWINS - ROB DEERING
JIM SMALLMAN

Plus Wrestling, Silent Disco and more

Individual day and weekend tickets for SONISPHERE 2014 are on sale now at www.sonisphere.co.uk. Check the Sonisphere website for further details.

All Campsites open Thursday.

For further information please visit www.sonisphere.co.uk