Maiden Land in Sydney: Report and Video Available
The following report is courtesy of Wendy Kingston from Ninemsn.com:"It wasn't just any old airport touch-down from a well-known rock band. This was British heavy metal blasters Iron Maiden — and they were flying their own chartered plane, Ed Force One. Lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson was behind the controls when the band's customised Boeing 757 touched down at Sydney Airport today. Adoring fans waited up to six hours to see the band hit the tarmac. When he's not "rocking out" to thousands of fans, Dickinson uses his pilot's licence to hit the skies — including flying his fellow Iron Maiden band members to gigs.
"Nobody has ever done this," he said.
"The Stones don't go travelling with their own crew and they certainly don't fly on the freighters that fly their gear. This is everything all rolled up into one."
Dickinson said he flies for British-based Astraeus Airlines in his "spare time". Ed Force One carries up to 72 people, including band members, their families and crew, and stores up to 10 tonnes of freight. The plane will clock up almost 100,000 km as Iron Maiden flies to 21 cities in 10 countries as part of its 45-day world tour. Band manager Rod Smallwood said the plane makes it possible for the band to maintain a tight schedule.
"Four major stadium shows in a week in different countries," he said. "With those distances, it would be impossible to do (without the band's own plane)," he said."
Read more here. Watch video report here.