Iron Maiden\u2019s \u201cBook of Souls\u201d tour, which wrapped up last month in Germany, saw one of the hardest working bands in showbiz jet between 50 shows on six continents onboard a customized 747-400, chartered by Air Charter Service (ACS) and operated by Air Atlanta.
\nThe 747-400, with \u201cEddie,\u201d the rotting-corpse mascot of the band proudly splattered across the jet\u2019s tail, ferried the band around the world, along with 22 tonnes of the band\u2019s gear. Best of all, the heavy-metal widebody, nicknamed \u201cEd Force One,\u201d was piloted throughout by none other than the lead singer, Bruce Dickinson, who is also chairman of MRO firm Cardiff Aviation.
\nIron Maiden, \u00a0Beijing, John McMurtie
\nIron Maiden brought ACS on board late last year to handle the logistics of the tour. The 2016 \u201cBook of Souls\u201d tour was particularly challenging, given the size of the jet, the numerous stops and the unique challenges of moving Maiden\u2019s set, which included Maya-inspired architecture, a massive effigy of Eddie, an inflatable goat\/devil and more. Music magazine Revolver called the set \u201cas impressive as they\u2019ve ever had, with a jungle vibe complete with hanging ropes from the ceiling and fiery tiki torches lit in the background.\u201d
\nAll those platforms and ramps that Dickinson runs around on? Yeah, those had to fly. The ACS team worked with Air Atlanta to make \u201cthe thousands of necessary arrangements for the 48 legs in the 21 countries that the tour was visiting,\u201d ACS said.
\nACS was responsible for arranging flight permissions outside of Europe and fuel, as well as handling agents. \u201cArranging such things on an ad-hoc basis is very different to a scheduled carrier, [which] lands at the same airport at the same time every day,\u201d the charter service explained. \u201cAt most airports, ACS had to deal with three separate companies \u2013 the cargo handlers for the 22 tonnes of stage equipment, VIP handling agents for the band and their \u2018Killer Krew\u2019, as well as regular check-in desks for anyone else that was on board.\u201d Group Commercial Director Matt Purton explained that, \u201cwe must have dealt with more than 100 different handling agents and 300 other suppliers over the course of the four months that we were involved in the tour.\u201d
\nDuring the tour, the British metal band and ACS also contended with untold complications, including an incident involving a loose steering pin and an airport vehicle, which damaged two engines and the undercarriage of Ed Force One. With the gear packed up for now, however, ACS and the band are calling the tour a great success.
\nSource: aircargoworld<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"