Iron Maiden has excelled in aviation after going to fly with a custom air in your travels. In 2016, during the tour The Book of Souls World Tour, the band changed its veteran Boeing 757-200, the iconic Boeing 747-400.
The plane, like his predecessor, received a complete customization, including stylized mascot Eddie the vertical stabilizer, the band's logo on the fuselage and the inscription The Book of Souls World Tour, as well as the list of all the cities that will be visited the band over the year.
Originally the proposal was to fly with Ed Force One, name chosen in a popular vote to designate the plane, for all cities scheduled for the tour 2016. However, an incident in Santiago, Chile, forced the band to leave the iconic jet for several weeks.
When towing, ground teams exceeded the turn radius, causing the tow bar broke. During the maneuver the aircraft on the ground by towing vehicles, there is a maximum limit of the curve radius. When used the tow bars, a simple device breaks the bar if the load limit is exceeded, so to preserve the integrity of the aircraft landing gear.
In the specific case of Ed Force One after the towbar be damaged, the aircraft continued moving by inertia, heading up the tow vehicle, which collided with violence against the left wing engines.
Even without causing serious damage, both engines had the nose cowl and fan door badly damaged. In addition, a later inspection indicated the need for a detailed verification of the structural integrity of the engine and engine mounts.
Order not to delay the touring schedule, the band chose to continue the tour with a chartered aircraft to transport the band and another for equipment. The arrival of the English sextet to Brazil, starting his tour in Rio de Janeiro still without Ed Force One.
According to Air Atlanta Icelandic, company that owns the 747 used by the band, the parts needed for repair have been sent to Chile. The forecast is that the plane back to follow the band still on tour in Brazil. The expectation is that Ed Force One to fly back next March 23, in time to accompany the Iron Maiden in presentations in Fortaleza and Sao Paulo, which occur respectively on 24 and 26 March.
The Boeing 747-400 used by Iron Maiden began his career in 2003, when it was delivered to Air France. The model build number 32868 and 1325 series was awarded to the French company in March 5, 2003, bearing the F-Gith registration. After Air France retired its fleet of 747 aircraft was sold to Air Atlanca Icelandic, which was delivered on 23 November 2015 and received the registration number TF-AAK. The plane was immediately leased to Iron Maiden, getting the special paint and some adjustments to accommodate the band.
