BRUCE DICKINSON Says Boeing 757 Wasn't 'Big Enough' To Accommodate IRON MAIDEN's New Stage Show

February 20, 2016

IRON MAIDEN's new-and-improved branded private tour plane landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport yesterday afternoon (Friday, February 19).

The Boeing 747 jumbo is named Ed Force One after the band's mascot, Eddie, who has appeared on all of their album covers, and graces the plane's tail.

Ed Force One is being piloted on the band's world tour by MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson.

Dickinson addressed reporters on the tarmac of the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport shortly after landing the airplane. He explained MAIDEN's decision to upgrade to a 747 (see video below courtesy of the 98.7 The Gater radio station): "The [757] is just not big enough for what we've got in mind in terms of a show. So what we've got on board at the moment is the stage show."

He continued: "I've actually been in Miami rehearsing for about two and a half weeks before this flight. So I actually flew back from Miami to pick up the airplane. And because it had been longer than a certain period, I had to jump back in the sim, do some landings and then fly the airplane over. So we pick up the rest of our equipment… In fact, we'll be spending tomorrow, basically, putting all the gear together and making sure it fits. Everything we need will be on the airplane, and all the technicians and baggage and everything else. We're going all around the world. I mean, we're doing some… I mean, [from] Perth, Australia to Cape Town [to] Shanghai to New Zealand. We're really going 'round the planet."

The 747 is the world's most recognizable airliner on account of its distinctive hump. With its impressive dimensions of 70.7m (232ft) length, 19.4m (63.6ft) height and a jaw-dropping wing span of 64.4m (211ft) this double-decker aircraft has a range of 13,450km (7,262nm).

IRON MAIDEN's world tour, in support of the band's latest album, "The Book Of Souls", will kick off on February 24 in Florida.

Support on the trek will come from THE RAVEN AGE, the band led by IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris's son George Harris.

MAIDEN's sixteenth — and first-ever double — studio album, "The Book Of Souls", was released worldwide on September 4, 2015 through Parlophone Records (BMG in the U.S.A). The CD was recorded in Paris, France with producer Kevin "Caveman" Shirley in late 2014, with the finishing touches added last year.

IRON MAIDEN announced in May 2015 that touring plans to support the album wouldn't happen until this year to allow Dickinson time to fully recuperate after his successful cancer treatment.

ironmaidenplaneevolution2016

Find more on Iron maiden
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).