Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson laid on a special treat for British troops serving in Afghanistan - he flew a group of Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots back to Britain for their annual leave.

The rocker - who is a qualified pilot - was behind the controls of a Boeing 747 jet chartered to transport the servicemen back to their native U.K. on Sunday.

And Dickinson, who has previously performed for troops in Afghanistan, was happy to help out once again.

An RAF spokesman says, "A lot of them (the troops) recognized him because they are Maiden fans, but he was there in his professional capacity as a pilot. He gave out lots of signatures to the guys."

- Iron Maiden Photos

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)