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And Finally Artist News Live Business
Iron Maiden unveil new 747 tour jet
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 22 February 2016
In these post-rockstar, more frugal times for the music industry it can be easy to find yourself lamenting the loss of the overblown excesses of yesteryear. But then Iron Maiden rock up in a fully branded, massive Boeing 747 jumbo jet and all is well again.
As the band head off on tour, the new ‘Ed Force One’ was revealed last week in Cardiff. Though there are some cost savings to be had, of course. Unlike most bands, Iron Maiden have a pilot in their midst. Bruce Dickinson will captain the plane, and he trained specifically to be able to fly the new jet, which is twice the size of the last one he flew the band around in (a 757) in 2011. There was another cost saving there too, because he was able to do the training at his own aviation company. Quids in.
Announcing that the band would be leasing the larger jet from Air Atlanta Icelandic last year, Dickinson said: “The greatest benefit of travelling in a 747 is that because of its colossal size and freight capacity we can carry our stage production and all our stage equipment and desks in the cargo hold without having to make any of the immense structural modifications needed to do this on the previous 757”.
And here’s Dickinson getting a look at his new ride for the first time: