Watch Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson Land ‘Ed Force One’ in Florida

After taking off from Cardiff, Wales on Thursday, "Ed Force One," Iron Maiden's Boeing 747 -- piloted by singer Bruce Dickinson -- arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., yesterday. You can watch it land in the video above.

It was his first time in charge of a 747 after having received a considerable amount of training in simulations. It was quite the experience for Dickinson, who cheerfully told 98.7 the Gater upon landing, "It was excellent. Nine hours across the pond and my first landing in a 747. So, hey, what's not to love?"

When told that the experts called it a "flawless" landing, Dickinson quipped, "I just had my eyes shut, you know? The airplane does it on its own."

From 2008-11, Dickinson had flown a 757 for Iron Maiden's jet, but he said that the production they're taking with them on the Book of Souls world tour requires the larger 747. "The [757] is just not big enough for what we've got in mind in terms of a show," he said. "So what we've got on board at the moment is the stage show [...] In fact, we'll be spending tomorrow, basically, putting all the gear together and making sure it fits. Everything we need will be on the airplane, and all the technicians and baggage and everything else. We're going all around the world."

Dickinson expects that, by the end of the tour, he will have logged about 150 flight hours on the 747.

Iron Maiden kick off the Book of Souls tour Wednesday (Feb. 24) at the BB&T Center in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. You can see all the dates here.

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