Ed Force One的后台

一开始:Ed Force One

我们已经告别了Ed Force One, the flying behemoth that became the iconic Iron Maiden tour plane – recognized on runways around the world, 无论它走到哪里，都吸引着机场工作人员和人群. 下面是Ed Force One的后台, 这是我们有幸参与过的最大最激动人心的项目.

一切都是从亚特兰大航空公司打来的一个电话开始的, an 冰岛ic airline that had been approached by Iron Maiden to arrange the Boeing 747 tour plane that became known internationally as Ed Force One (the name was chosen by fans as part of a website competition). 亚特兰大航空公司认为 包机服务(ACS) 有足够的资源和专业知识来完成这个极其复杂和紧凑的时间表吗.

When this latest incarnation of Ed Force One first touched down in Cardiff sporting a special livery of ‘埃迪’ – Iron Maiden’s iconic mascot – snarling from the tail of this heavy metal beast of the skies, 我们知道这是我们的人生之旅.

巨大的四引擎 波音747飞机 – twice the size 和 over three times the weight of the Boeing 757 used on previous tours – is able to carry 10,000公斤设备, 并且在安全性和舒适性方面有着出色的记录. 铁娘子乐队主唱布鲁斯·迪金森在谈到这架私人飞机时说:

“这是一架非常漂亮的飞机. 这台机器使我们可以在洲际的基础上进行欧洲旅行. 这是我们的时光机，我们的魔毯."

有50场演出, 22吨货物和400名供应商和搬运工, 这是一项艰巨的工作, 在那里，我们(几乎)每时每刻都很享受.

Inside Ed Force One

这是《银河娱乐场galaxy》世界巡演的第一站, 每架飞机上至少有两名包机服务公司(ACS)的工作人员. The heralds of Ed Force One managed to keep 10 steps ahead of a punishing tour itinerary every step of the way. 这意味着要处理飞行许可, 起降槽, 加剧, 餐饮, 行李处理, 贵宾服务, 和 the endless rounds of minutiae that go into transporting the Iron Maiden 747 around the world.

这个工程是巨大的, 不仅是空中的飞机，还有至少15名ACS总部的员工, 以及参观路线上所有办事处的工作人员. 每个工作人员都是确保旅游交通顺利进行的关键. 给ACS的骑警, 没有什么挑战是不可能的, 太小了, 或者太不寻常, 无论是倒液体还是拆三明治, 或者让铁娘子乐队的乐手和随行人员通过安检. And then there was the expected – like smoothing over the logistics of gaining access to the aircraft after l和ing to collect wayward football kits, 或者安排一次空对空的拍摄. 没有什么能让ACS的员工跑到山上去.

布鲁斯·狄金森:领航员和前锋

Another extraordinary turn of events was when the controls of Ed Force One were taken over 和 the Boeing 747-400 was flown by Iron Maiden lead singer, 布鲁斯·迪金森. 结果, Dickinson is a man of many talents – he had in the past been a commercial airline pilot for Astraeus. 他还在获奖纪录片《银河娱乐场galaxy》中扮演了一个角色. 迪金森是Ed Force One在《银河娱乐场galaxy》世界巡演期间的主要领航员.

很明显, Dickinson knew his planes 和 it explained the love affair the b和 has had over the years with private jets 和 the freedom of flight. 早在2008年, the group first commissioned an Astraeus 航空公司 Boeing 757 for their Somewhere Back in Time World Tour. 这架飞机经过改装，可以搭载乐队和他们的工作人员以及舞台设备, allowing the group to perform in countries which would have otherwise been unreachable logistically.

铁娘子私人飞机名人

当然，一路走来也有一些挑战, 在特定机场增加了安保措施, VIP接送和进出机场的秘密路线都需要精心安排. 但所有的挑战和努力都被水炮的礼炮所弥补了, 消防车呼啸着铁娘子乐队的歌, 粉丝们挤在外围围栏周围.

最大的挑战与飞机引起的巨大兴趣有关. Everyone from the crew of Air Force One in Chicago to the crew aboard Antonov An-225 Mriya (the largest aircraft in the world) wanted a tour of the Iron Maiden private plane. 事实上, 布鲁斯·迪金森 – as both Iron Maiden lead singer 和 pilot of Ed Force One – took the 747 to Boeing Headquarters at Paine Field to help them celebrate their 100th anniversary 和 personally take a lucky few for an onboard tour. 在慕尼黑, 德国, Chancellor Angela Merkel couldn’t resist instructing that her (much smaller) jet was parked next to the Ed Force One beast, “铁娘子”号旅游机对法国总统奥朗德也产生了类似的影响.

一级方程式赛车在道路颠簸后反弹

对于Ed Force One来说并不是一帆风顺的. 在智利圣地亚哥, 飞机已经关闭，每个人都在旅馆里过夜, 当机场工作人员开始移动飞机时. An incident involving a loose steering pin 和 an airport tug resulted in damage to two engines 和 the undercarriage of the plane, 还有两名机场工作人员受伤.

突然间，Ed Force One停飞了，但就像往常一样，节目找到了继续下去的方式. 在与包括铁娘子管理层在内的其他供应商合作后，在数小时内, 空气亚特兰大, 和 Rock-It 货物 – alternative charters 和 a few scheduled seats were sourced for Iron Maiden’s ‘Killer Krew’ 和 the b和 managed to get to their next show in 阿根廷.

Over 20 tons of stage equipment 和 production were trucked over a difficult pass through the Andes Mountains to the border into Cordoba. 阿根廷和巴西的演出都必须迅速安排替代交通工具.

我是Ed Force One, 两个巨大的新引擎, 工程师, 部分, 罩和工具是从欧洲空运过来的. 在10天之内，工程师们完成了一项伟大的工作, Ed Force One的猛兽再次准备好指挥天空.

音乐家和他们的私人飞机

Iron Maiden are part of a legacy of celebrities who have owned or chartered private jets to get them to adoring fans around the world in the most efficient – 和 coolest – way on earth.

认识这些名字中的任何一个?

• Elvis Presley was probably the first rock icon to charter his own plane in 1960 for his History Tour. 他的Convair 880, 丽莎·玛丽, 有会议室, 录像系统, 52人, 主卧和浴室配有金水龙头和金浴缸.
• 披头士乐队乘坐泛美航空公司的包机抵达肯尼迪机场，这是他们首次访问美国.S. in 1964.
• In 1975, 齐柏林飞艇乐队以750美元的价格购买了一架前美国联合航空公司的波音7200b客机,000. 他们又花了200美元,000 transforming the plane into a rock 'n' roll air palace with a cabin bar 和 built-in electric organ – the legendary Starship.
• 同样是在1975年，坏男孩摇滚乐队滚石租用了星际飞船进行巡演. 在随后的几年里，石头乐队使用了许多不同的飞机. 2014年，他们包租了一架带标志的波音737-400进行欧洲之旅.
• Pop legend, Elton John, painted his plane in stars 和 stripes for his Rock of the Westies 1975 tour.
• 爱尔兰摇滚乐队, U2, hired what was then the world’s largest charter-operated private jet in 2017 – an Airbus A340-300.
• 权力夫妇, Jay-Z和Beyonce, bought a $40 million Bombardier Challenger 850 Learjet decked out with a cream leather living room, 一个厨房, 一间卧室和两间浴室.

一次难忘的铁娘子747之旅

足迹遍布六大洲, 21个Country，飞行近100个,000公里, 爱德华一号已经退出了, but its legacy will live on; through the collective memories of those on board, 那些挤在篱笆旁的人, those million or so fans at the 50 shows 和 everyone who had the pleasure of following its progress around the world.

我们是ACS, 这是一段以光速呼啸而过的旅程, 进入伟大的未知, 和世界上最伟大的摇滚乐手一起. 有时感觉就像是死亡与荣耀之间的一条细线，但这是一段我们永远不会忘记的旅程.

谢谢你，铁娘子，让我们成为2016年灵魂之书世界巡演的一部分.

铁娘子:向前，向上

自2016年大获成功的《银河娱乐场galaxy》世界巡演以来，乐队达到了新的高度. 他们被认为是历史上最成功的重金属乐队之一, 他们的专辑在全球销量超过1亿张.

2017年，布鲁斯·狄金森出版了他的回忆录《银河娱乐场galaxy》?，其中大部分是他手写的. A number of subjects that Dickinson had kept private up to publication of the book were dealt with in its pages. 同年，乐队发布了一款手机游戏《macaugalaxy银河国际》. 用户可以扮演乐队吉祥物, 埃迪, battling monsters 和 watching as their character evolves to the soundtrack of the b和's greatest hits. The game’s release was followed by the Legacy of the Beast World Tour in 2018 when fans were treated to a spectacular production that included a replica Spitfire fighter plane from World War II.

Plans for 2019 include a return to North America with their 33-city Legacy of the Beast World Tour which is set to be the b和’s biggest production ever. 我们祝愿铁娘子乐队7月18日的巡回演出一切顺利. 奥德赛还在继续.