Empire of the Clouds story of the R101 airship, which crashed on its maiden voyage in northern France on 5 October 1930. The song was written entirely by the band's lead vocalist, Bruce Dickinson, who initially intended it to be about "World War I fighter airplanes;" Dickinson abandoned the idea after using the same theme for the song "Death or Glory," also from "The Book of Souls". At the time of recording, Dickinson was reading "a big, sort of encyclopedic crash report" of the R101, entitled "To Ride the Storm", which gave him the idea for the song's eventual subject. Dickinson describes it as
R101 (South Africa) Johannes Ramokhoase Street (formerly Proes Street) westwards (To the Struben Street junction from Paul Kruger Street). As Paul Kruger Street, the R101 goes north, Bypassing Pretoria Zoo, through Capital Park and Mayville. Just after Mayville, The R101 cosigns with the M1 Municipal Route of Pretoria until the next junction, where the R101 becomes Lavender Road (The road to the right), The road separating Wonderboom South and Pretoria North. At the next junction with Steve Biko Road (M5), Lavender Road divides into Lavender Road West (For vehicles heading north, By way of a left turn) and Lavender Road East (For vehicles