Ed Force One

Source | Iron Maiden / YouTube | 06 April 2024 1 minute
A different kind of tour bus, indeed. Iron Maiden is a British rock band founded in 1975 that developed its very own style on the basis of the typical hard rock of the 70s. Bruce Dickinson, the front man of the iconic band, simply concluded that a Boeing 757 was not big enough to transport the band and its many helpers around the world when on tour. Bruce, not only the face of Iron Maiden but also an enthusiastic pilot, multitalent and entrepreneur, chose a Boeing 747-400 for their flights from venue to venue. “Everything we need is on this plane”, says the superstar and pilot. Dickinson acquired his pilot’s license in 1991, later on he worked as a pilot for the British airline Astraeus which discontinued its service in 2011. After that he founded the aircraft maintenance company Cardiff Aviation together with former Astraeus manager Mario Fulgoni. Today, this company employs over 70 employees. But Dickinson is a restless man with lots of talents. To be able to fly the 747 model, Dickinson had to undergo re-training, which he carried out between the rehearsal sessions for the new world tour. After having completed his training in the flight simulator, he was really excited to take on the real-life challenge. The aircraft which Iron Maiden leases from Air Atlanta Icelandic is called Ed Force One, a creative allusion to the United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States and the band mascot Eddie. For more please check out www.ironmaiden.com