Still, this wouldn’t be the end of the aircraft’s story, as Aviationtag has now gone on to produce a limited-edition run of 12,000 collectible aircraft skin tags made from the remains of the plane. These are now available on the company’s website at a cost of €66.66 ($72.57), with both silver and blue designs available for selection. As pictured above, the rear of the tags also features Eddie, Iron Maiden’s mascot.
In the works for a long time
As seen in the video embedded below, Aviationtag worked closely with Bruce Dickinson himself in the conception, development, and production of its limited-edition aircraft skin tags made from the remains of Ed Force One. The company notes that “a detailed interview with the singer is available exclusively in a booklet, which is included as a special supplement with every Ed Force One Aviationtag.
The tags also feature the Ed Force One logo and the aircraft’s registration, as well as a number that shows which one of the 12,000 tags any given collector has managed to get their hands on. Commenting on the launch of the company’s latest line of collectible memorabilia, Tobias Richter, who serves as the Chief Commercial Officer at Aviationtag, explained that the tags had been in the works for a long time:
A larger-than-life aircraft
Aviationtag notes Dickinson’s fondness of Ed Force One, quoting him in stating that the aircraft “always behaved like the Queen of the Skies that the 747 will always be. There will never be another to occupy her throne.” Dickinson added that “the power, the noise of those four engines, the featherlight touchdowns (not my fault – blame good design) and her airborne elegance put the 747 in a unique category.”
The company also recalled an instance that perhaps best exemplified Ed Force One’s status as a larger-than-life aircraft, when it was parked at Zürich Airport (ZRH) in Switzerland alongside various private and governmental planes. It notes that “while the jets belonging to Chancellor Angela Merkel and President François Hollande were parked nearby and appeared almost miniature in comparison, Ed Force One everyone’s attention.” Now, its legacy will live on with these skin tags.
Boeing 747-400 that Iron Maiden chartered and repainted as part of the 2016 Book of Souls world tour. The band already had close ties to aviation, with lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson being a licensed pilot himself, but the use of a ‘jumbo jet’ as part of the traveling entourage for the tour took the connection to the next level, and served as a legendary visual indicator of the band’s departures from and arrivals into the tour’s destinations.
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