Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson is going to fly the band around the world on their tour next year.

The heavy metal band will start flying in their own Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet called "Ed Force One" next February.

The release their 16th studio album, The Book of Souls, next Friday.

Licensed pilot Dickinson has been training using a simulator at Cardiff Aviation, his aircraft maintenance facility in Wales, for a licence to fly the jet, nicknamed Queen of the Skies.

Ed Force One in numbers The Book of Souls World Tour is expected to visit around 35 countries



They'll play their first ever concerts in China and El Salvador



"Ed Force One" will travel more than 55,000 miles (88,500km) around the globe



The plane will take the band, crew and more than 12 tons of equipment

The plane's almost twice the size and more than three times the weight of the Boeing 757 used on Iron Maiden's previous tours in 2008, 2009 and 2011.

The band filmed the first leg of their Somewhere Back in Time World tour between February and March 2008 for a documentary called Iron Maiden: Flight 666.

"When the opportunity arose from my friends at Air Atlanta Icelandic to lease a 747 for The Book Of Souls world tour, of course we jumped at the chance, who wouldn't?" said 57-year-old Dickinson.

"However, even though we have worked out the logistics of taking a plane of that immense size out on tour, I still have to learn to fly it before we can go anywhere.

"So, I'm currently doing my training to qualify as a pilot and captain on a Boeing 747."

He said the "greatest benefit" of travelling in a 747 is being able to transport all their equipment and crew.

"We're all really excited at the thought of bringing our brand new tour to fans who have never seen us play live before, and of course re-visiting all our old friends again too. You can rest assured we are all working hard to put together a spectacular show for our fans."

Dates for the live shows, which will see the group covering six continents and stopping off in South America, Asia, Australia, South Africa and Europe, will be announced soon.

The latest world tour will open in the US in late February and arrive in Europe in late May.

The band - made up of Dickinson, Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Nicko McBrain and Janick Gers - finished their last world tour at Sonisphere in July 2014.

Bruce Dickinson took part in a mock dog fight above the grounds of Knebworth House to commemorate the start of World War One.

The singer flew one of the planes in the display, which ended with the Band and Bugles of The Rifles playing the Last Post.

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