After taking off from Cardiff, Wales, “Ed Force One,” Iron Maiden‘s Boeing 747 piloted by singer Bruce Dickinson arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on Friday. Check out the landing in the video above, and the takeoff in Cardiff, below.
It was Dickinson’s first time in charge of a 747 jumbo jet after receiving a considerable amount of flight training. Dickinson told 98.7 the Gater upon landing, “It was excellent. Nine hours across the pond and my first landing in a 747. So, hey, what’s not to love?”
When told that the experts called it a “flawless” landing, Dickinson quipped, “I just had my eyes shut, you know? The airplane does it on its own.”
From 2008-11, Dickinson had flown a 757 for Iron Maiden’s jet, but he said that the production they’re taking with them on the Book of Souls world tour requires the larger 747. “The [757] is just not big enough for what we’ve got in mind in terms of a show,” he said. “So what we’ve got on board at the moment is the stage show […] 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.”
Dickinson’s full press conference held at the Miami airport, is below.
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