Iron Maiden’s Ed Force Upgrade

Dickinson will captain and pilot a Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet as the veteran British metal band traverses 55,000 miles and takes in six continents for “The Book of Souls World Tour 2016,” including the band’s first-ever shows in China and El Salvador.

The 747 is almost twice the size and more than three times the weight of the previous “Ed Force One” 757s used in tours from 2008-11. The Book of Souls tour is expected to visit 35 countries, as dates are not quite confirmed. Choosing a vessel of this size is more than just for show, as Dickinson explained.

“The greatest benefit of travelling in a 747 is that because of its colossal size and freight capacity we can carry our stage production and all our stage equipment and desks in the cargo hold without having to make any of the immense structural modifications needed to do this on the previous 757,” Dickinson said. He added, “Our Krew can almost get a row of seats each to catch up on sleep on the flights!”

Dickinson is still in the process of getting licensed to fly the mammoth airliner.

Details of the tour are expected “in a few weeks’ time,” but the band revealed that the tour will open with three U.S. dates in February, followed by Central America and South America before hitting the U.S. and Canada in April. Then comes Japan, China, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and a “very extensive” European tour running from May to August.