Iron Maiden Rocks Up to Shows on a Boeing 747 Called “Ed Force One”

Remember when Iron Maiden became popular… in that song Teenage Dirtbag? Don’t say maybe. Well, Iron Maiden paid it forward by using its fame to showcase the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. In case you didn’t know, Iron Maiden is a British heavy metal band that’s been creating heavy metal music for the last 40 years. Their recent worldwide “Book of Souls” tour was in a chartered 747 with frontman Bruce Dickinson was the pilot.

It’s a different kind of celebrity endorsement, but it fits. Dickinson has had his commercial pilot’s license since the ‘90s.

Boeing spokesperson Mary K. Kelly said they jumped at the opportunity to work with Iron Maiden when they found out the band would be touring the world in a 747, with Dickinson at the controls. Luckily, the tour stops at the Tacoma Dome (Tacoma, Washington) and Vancouver’s Rogers Arena were close to Boeing’s manufacturing plant in Everett, Washington, where the band landed “Ed Force One” in between shows. You’d think “Ed Force One” was a play on Nelly’s famous song about Nike shoes, but no. And not Harrison Ford’s action movie either. Iron Maiden’s jumbo jet is named after their skeleton mascot Eddie.

The band agreed to have a Boeing photographer aboard, allowing the company to highlight aspects of the plane that are rarely seen due to the commercial nature of Boeing’s sales. Dickinson also mentions that the plane is “a little bit of a flying billboard” with art from their “Book of Souls” emblazoned on the plane’s tail. The plane (and Boeing) have been getting attention all over the world, including when a picture hit the front page of Reddit as the jet stopped in Munich to restock the beer supply.