Ed Force One damaged in ramp incident

[jmowreader]

http://ironmaiden.com/news/article/ed-force-one-damaged

Iron Maiden's tour plane (a Boeing 747) was on the ground in Santiago, Chile, being towed to the refueling point. A connecting pin fell out of the steering mechanism connecting the tug to the plane, without the knowledge of the ground crew. When the tug operators attempted to turn, the plane kept going straight...fucking up two engines to the point they probably need replaced, damaging the undercarriage and injuring the two tug operators. Fortunately, the operators are on their way to a full recovery and the plane is fixable.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

1. I'm glad I'm not the roadie that screwed up the plane.

Breaking a guitar string is bad enough ...

[onethatcares]

2. WOW

I shulda lerned to plae the gitar,

I shuda lerned to bang tem drums.

A Boeing 747 for a rock band

someone help me here

[jmowreader]

4. The Boeing 747 makes a lot of sense, if your frontman is an airline pilot

Here's the deal:



This is Bruce Dickinson, airline captain, rock singer, businessman, and one of the best swordsmen in England. He has been a Boeing 757 captain for many years. He dropped out of Maiden for a few years to follow a solo career. After he rejoined Maiden he suggested that the band pull a huge publicity stunt - leasing a 757 from Astraeus Airlines, which was the airline he was then working for, converting it to a "combi" plane so it'd have enough space to haul all their equipment, and doing a world tour. They did that. Then they got back to England, ran the numbers, and realized two things: the band got back to England in better shape than they ever had before, and the tour cost them less money than any other tour. So...now they lease an airliner for all their tours.

However, reconfiguring a 757 or 767 to haul Maiden's stage set is not cheap. After calculating and ruminating they discovered that using a 747, which can hold their gear without reconfiguring the load floor, is less expensive than leasing a 757, converting it, flying the tour and converting it back - even with the added fuel costs of the bigger plane.

What I don't understand: Cardiff Aviation is very successful at maximizing revenue from an airliner. If he can do that, why doesn't he buy a 757, convert it to the configuration Maiden needs, and haul cargo in it when he's not on tour?

[petronius]

3. That must have been one heck of a WTF moment when they realized

that the plane wasn't turning!

Glad the tug operators are OK...

[trof]

5. I used to fly cargo configured B-747.

The main deck is YUUUUGGGE!

[Capt.Rocky300]

6. Yup....

years ago I flew 747's for a cargo airline. Most notable cargos included Shamu, the Rolling Stones stage equipment on a world tour and Seattle Slew who took a disliking to me and tore my uniform shirt sleeve with his teeth as I walked by his stall.

[trof]

7. I was with Nippon Cargo. You?