'Ed Force One' Will Fly Again

Blitzkrieg

Master Exploder
IRON MAIDEN's 'Ed Force One' Will Fly Again - Oct. 7, 2009

According to U.K.'s Rock Radio, IRON MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood has revealed the band is planning to tour on Ed Force One next year.

MAIDEN became the first outfit in history to travel round the world in a customized jet during their "Somewhere Back in Time" tour, as detailed in award-winning movie "Flight 666".

The Boeing 757 carried musicians, crew, gear and guests with singer Bruce Dickinson, a qualified airline pilot, at the controls.

Speaking in the Iron Maiden Fan Club magazine, the manager said, "It took a long time to set up the last tour because of the plane. It had never been done before and we didn't know what we were letting ourselves in for. The idea came a couple of years before that and we got into it a year ahead of the game.

"I'm starting to get my head round what we're going to do next summer. It hasn't been decided yet but we'll do something, so I've got to speak to promoters and agents.

"Now we know the plane works, by Christmas we'll have the pattern set. We'll probably be going for the plane and getting that held for us.

"But at the moment, the album's the key thing on the agenda. The guys will be getting together shortly and they're probably starting to get their heads round new ideas for songs individually. Some of them may meet up before we formally get together.

"We'll spend a period writing, we'll take Christmas off and then we'll get into recording. We'll finish the album in time for it to be out next year and I'm just getting my head round what we want to do touring-wise.

"We'll be doing some new places on the next tour. I won't tell you where they are - they're not finalized yet, but some work has been done. One place we can't play that we'd like to is Bolivia — the altitude is just too high for the type of physical performance the guys do. It's a shame."

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Oooo! New album and tour next year!
 
Soon we're just going to take them for granted and then if they don't tour here one year we'll be getting the pitchforks out.
 
I hope that if they tour here again it will be a tour on the back of a new album, rather than a 'somewhere back in time' type tour.
 
It will be - they're gearing up for the studio right now. They won't release another 'best of/history' thing until 2012 I reckon.
 
according to rock radio, maiden have booked into the studio for the 2nd week of january to start work on the new album, and tour that album at the end of 2010 or 2011

Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain has confirmed to Rock Radio that the band are already planning their fifteenth studio album.

In an interview with Rock DJ Tom Russell on Maiden Day, available below, McBrain said: "We're scheduling to get together to write the new album in November or December this year.

"We have actually booked a studio and I think we'll kick off in the second week of January with the new record.

"As to touring - the end of the year, or definitely 2011. We may actually go out at the end of 2010. Once you've got the new album finished and packaged, and the record company's happy with all the bits and pieces, then you want to go touring.

"And you don't want to wait too long - because we'll forget the songs!"

McBrain also discussed the worldwide release of Maiden's movie, Flight 666, which details the band's Somewhere Back in Time World Tour aboard Ed Force One, a customised Boeing 757 piloted by singer Bruce Dickinson.

The drummer explained: "It really shows the agony and ecstasy of the tour. If I invited one of the listeners out on tour with us, this is what you'd get."

During the interview he also talked about why he's known as Boomer and why that led to the band discovering the biggest drawback of touring on a plane, why he's not managed by a former member of Duran Duran, and what the band think of winning their Brit Award and why they didn't want to be there to accept it