Video footage of IRON MAIDEN's fully repaired Ed Force One plane touching down at Vancouver International Airport Saturday, April 9 can be seen below (courtesy of Joel Neufeld a.k.a Deathrattle) The Boeing 747 was back in the air late last month after a ten-day emergency repair mission following a ground accident in Santiago, Chile. The incident required the replacing of both of the Boeing 747's port side jet engines, a tough proposition at the best of times but not made any easier by the fact of the distances involved in getting such huge components, parts, tools and technical crew to Chile as quickly as possible to get Ed Force One flying again. Ed Force One is leased from Air Atlanta who went into immediate action following the incident, with technical assistance from Boeing. An emergency meeting was called to create a comprehensive detailed plan for this complex operation — locating suitable engines, thrust reversers, cowlings and parts, working out necessary tooling and technical team, logistics of ground and freight transport and tech team travel and a myriad of other detail. The next couple of days were spent putting these plans meticulously into place. Bruce Dickinson, MAIDEN vocalist and pilot of Ed Force One, comented: "The speed and thoroughness of this incredibly complex operation was stunning, and we are so very pleased to get our plane back!" IRON MAIDEN's world tour, in support of the band's latest album, "The Book Of Souls", kicked off on February 24 in Sunrise, Florida (a suburb of Fort Lauderdale).
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