Iron Maiden is one of the most famous rock bands of all time. The English heavy metal band first formed in 1975, nearly fifty years ago. The band was started by the famous bassist, Steve Harris.

The makeup of the band changed early on, although some, like Nicko McBrain, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Janick Gers, were some of the most consistent band members.

Additionally, the band added Bruce Dickinson as its singer in 1981, which many consider the move that brought Iron Maiden into one of the most popular heavy metal bands of all time.

The band found great success in the late 1990s and the 2000s, especially after Dickinson returned to the band after a hiatus. His hiatus was spent learning to fly, as he was an avid aviation enthusiast, and he eventually earned an airline transport pilot’s license. Overall, the band sold over 130 million copies of their albums.

The band became so popular that it performed on some of the biggest world tours of all time, including the Somewhere Back in Time World Tour and later The Book of Souls World Tour. These tours were so big that Iron Maiden required a large private jet to transport them and their equipment.

Both of the aircraft for these two tours were nicknamed Ed Force One, which was the winner of an online competition. Let’s take a closer look at the aircraft that Iron Maiden flew on for some of their most popular tours.

The first Boeing aircraft on tour

The first Ed Force One was utilized on the Somewhere Back in Time World Tour, which lasted from 2008 through 2009. This aircraft is a Boeing 757-200, and is currently registered as N938FD.

This Boeing 757 was first delivered in March 1989, and it went to Air 2000, initially. Since then, the aircraft has also passed to Canada 3000 Airlines several times.

Photo: Patrick Poendl | Shutterstock

However, in March 2006, Astraeus Airlines, a charter company that was based in Crawley, United Kingdom, took control of the aircraft. Under the control of Astraeus Airlines, the aircraft was registered as G-OJIB.

During the time the aircraft was owned by Astraeus is when Iron Maiden chartered the aircraft for its international tour. This aircraft flew for the band over 90 different tour dates, which spanned 52 countries. It also featured a specific livery for the band, that Astraeus Airlines left after the tour was over.

However, after Astraeus Airlines went bankrupt in 2011, FedEx took ownership of the aircraft. It has been flying with the company since July 2012, after it was converted to a freighter aircraft. It remains in service to this day, per ch-aviation.

About the Boeing 757

The Boeing 757 is one of the most popular narrow-body airliners in the world. Boeing first designed the aircraft as a successor to its earlier narrow-body, the Boeing 727.

It flew for the first time in February 192, and it was officially introduced the following January with the aircraft’s launch partner, Eastern Air Lines. The aircraft was produced from 1981 through 2004, and over 1,000 total airliners were produced, with many of them still in service today.

Photo: EchoVisuals | Shutterstock

The newly developed 757 featured several state-of-the-art features, including a supercritical wing with double slotted flaps, carbon-fiber reinforced wing surfaces, Kevlar fairings, and taller landing gear.

The aircraft was powered by either two Rolls-Royce RB211 turbofan engines or two Pratt & Whitney PW2000 turbofan engines. These each provide around 40,000 pounds of thrust depending on the variant. Overall, the Boeing 757-200 has the following specifications:

The second Boeing aircraft on tour

On Iron Maiden’s next world tour, The Book of Souls World Tour, the band looked to fly another Boeing aircraft. However, this time, the band turned to the legendary Boeing 747-200 instead.

This aircraft provided enough room for the equipment and all personnel, and it did not require as much of a conversion as the previous aircraft.

Photo: Sergey Kohl | Shutterstock 

The aircraft that Iron Maiden used for its 2016 world tour was first delivered to Air France in 2003. It operated it for over ten years, operating it as F-GITH.

However, it was transferred to Air Atlanta Icelandic in 2015. Just a year after the aircraft was received, Air Atlanta Icelandic leased it to Iron Maiden for their world tour.

After the tour, Air Atlanta Icelandic leased the aircraft to Saudi Arabian Airlines, where it saw regular service. However, it was officially grounded in March 2020, and, finally, the aircraft was scrapped, putting an end to its history.

About the Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 is perhaps the most famous wide-body aircraft that Boeing has produced. The large double-decker aircraft was first developed in the 1960s, as Pan Am wanted an aircraft more than double the size of the Boeing 707 to reduce its seating costs.

Boeing flew the aircraft for the first time in February 1969, and later introduced it with Pan Am the following year. It was produced in multiple variants from 1968 to 2023. Over 1,500 Boeing 747s were produced, with many still in service today.

Photo: Lukas Wunderlich | Shutterstock

The jumbo jet was produced with a partial double-deck and a raised cockpit, so it could easily be converted to a freighter. It is powered by four engines, either the Pratt & Whitney JT9D, the General Electric CF6, or the Rolls-Royce RB211 engines. Overall, the Boeing 747-200 has the following performance specifications: