A MUSIC-MAD family from South Lakeland got the chance to live the heavy metal high-life on a chartered jet piloted by a rock n' roll legend, reports Paul Duncan.

The Gibson family from Maple Drive, Kendal, took the flight of a lifetime with a coveted place on a special charter journey to Belgrade for a concert by British rock band Iron Maiden, with none other than the band's front man Bruce Dickinson behind the controls in the cockpit.

Mark Gibson, who runs Kendal haulage firm MGD Ltd., said the idea came from his sons, die-hard Iron Maiden fans 17-year-old twins Scott and Sean, who came across details for the special flight while surfing the internet.

"They both really wanted to go so we decided to buy tickets but demand was so great that they had to allocate them using a lottery system, and luckily, we won," said Mr Gibson.

The family, which included mum Jane, and the twin's friend Ben Graham, drove to Gatwick where they boarded the special flight along with several hundred fellow metal heads from across the world.

On board they were personally greeted by their captain for the trip, lead singer Bruce Dickinson, who is a fully-qualified commercial pilot.

After touching down in Serbia, the family were whisked to their hotel and then on to the concert arena where they were treated to a tour of the stage before retiring to a VIP area from where they watched the concert in style.

See March 30 Westmorland Gazette for story in full and picture of Bruce Dickinson with the Gibson twins.