Bruce Dickinson Won’t Pilot Ed Force One on Iron Maiden’s Upcoming Tour

Something’s that’s been especially cool on Iron Maiden‘s recent tours is that frontman Bruce Dickinson, also a seasoned pilot and aviator, has flown the band’s jet, Ed Force One, around the world with them. But unfortunately, all good things must end, and apparently Bruce won’t be behind the wheel — the wheel? The stick? Whatever — this time around.

During a recent interview with Associated Press about Maiden’s upcoming tour schedule, Dickinson was asked if he’d be flying the plane this time, and he adamantly said, “Oh, no, no, no, no. We’re going to be flying and I’m going to be in the back. Hey, look, I’m 63 — I’m 64 in August. You know, when you get to 65, if you’re an airline pilot, they just take you out the back and shoot, right? So, I’m going to be sitting in the back being the backseat driver.”

As Loudwire points out, Bruce is referencing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)’s retirement guidelines, which list 65 as the retirement date. Makes sense, too, if you’ve ever watched your 78-year-old grampa drive 23 miles with the parking break on.

Anyway, you can catch Iron Maiden with Bruce the Singer if not Bruce the Pilot at one of the following dates below:

5/22 – Zagreb, CROATIA – Arena Zagreb (Lord of the Lost) [tickets]
5/24 – Belgrade, SERBIA – Stark Arena (Lord of the Lost) [tickets]
5/26 – Bucharest, ROMANIA – Romexpo Open Air (Lord of the Lost) [tickets]
5/29 – Kyiv, UKRAINE – VDNG (Airbourne & Lord of the Lost) [tickets]
6/13 – Sofia, BULGARIA – Arena Armeec (Lord of the Lost) [tickets]
6/16 – Athens, GREECE – Olympic Stadium (Airbourne & Lord of the Lost) [tickets]
9/7 – Mexico City, MEXICO – Foro Sol (Special Guests to be announced) [tickets]
9/11 – El Paso, TX, USA – Don Haskins Center (Trivium) [tickets]
9/13 – Austin, TX, USA – Moody Center (Trivium) [tickets]
9/15 – Tulsa, OK, USA – BOK Center (Trivium) [tickets]
9/17 – Denver, CO, USA – Ball Arena (Trivium) [tickets]
9/19 – Salt Lake City, UT, USA – USANA Amphitheatre (Trivium) [tickets]
9/21 – Anaheim, CA, USA – Honda Center (Trivium) [tickets]
9/25 – Chula Vista, CA, USA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre (Trivium) [tickets]
9/27 – Concord, CA, USA – Concord Pavilion (Trivium) [tickets]
9/29 – Seattle, WA, USA – Climate Pledge Arena (Trivium) [tickets]
9/30 – Spokane, WA, USA – Spokane Arena (Trivium) [tickets]
10/3 – Sioux Falls, SD, USA – Denny Sanford Premier Center (Within Temptation) [tickets]
10/5 – Chicago, IL, USA – United Center (Within Temptation) [tickets]
10/7 – Columbus, OH, USA – Nationwide Arena (Within Temptation) [tickets]
10/9 – Detroit, MI, USA – Little Caesars Arena (Within Temptation) [tickets]
10/11 – Toronto, ON, CANADA – Scotiabank Centre (Within Temptation) [tickets]
10/12 – Hamilton, ON, CANADA – FirstOntario Centre (Within Temptation) [tickets]
10/15 – Ottawa, ON, CANADA – Canadian Tire Centre (Within Temptation) [tickets]
10/17 – Worcester, MA, USA – DCU Center (Within Temptation) [tickets]
10/19 – Belmont Park, NY, USA – UBS Arena (Within Temptation) [tickets]
10/21 – Newark, NJ, USA – Prudential Center (Within Temptation) [tickets]
10/23 – Washington, DC, USA – Capital One Arena (Within Temptation) [tickets]
10/25 – Greensboro, NC, USA – Greensboro Coliseum (Within Temptation) [tickets]
10/27 – Tampa, FL, USA – Amalie Arena (Within Temptation) [tickets]