For over a decade, Iron Maiden has traveled in style in their own custom-equipped aircraft, enabling them to put together sightseeing itineraries that would otherwise be near impossible. Singer Bruce Dickinson, who is also a commercial airline captain, had flown ‘Ed Force One’ from show to show, but has now revealed he won’t be in the cockpit on the next group tour.
Iron Maiden’s touring regimen is impressive for any band, let alone a group of individuals in their 60s (drummer Nicko McBrain, the oldest member, turns 70 later this year). Serving as co-captain of the Boeing 747 “Ed Force One” in addition to playing for two hours a night has been even more mind-blowing, but those days might just be a thing of the past now.
“Even more interesting than Ed Force One is how the hell did I end up being an airline pilot in the first place? And second, how do you become an airline pilot when you’re singing in a band rock ‘n’ roll? I have more crazy airline stories than rock ‘n’ roll stories because, believe me, the airline era was way more rock ‘n’ roll that Iron Maiden is on stage presides over Caerdav, an aircraft maintenance, repair and pilot training company, told the Associated press in an interview to promote her current spoken word tour dates in the United States and Canada.
When pressed about the next steps on Iron Maiden’s ‘Legacy of the Beast’ tour and the possibility of piloting ‘Ed Force One’ again, Dickinson replied, “Oh, no, no, no no. We’re gonna fly and I’m gonna be in the back. Hey listen, 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’ll be sitting in the back as the backseat driver.
The comment on age 65 refers to forced retirement rules put in place by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
See Dickinson’s Spoken Word Tour dates here and read Loudwire’s full interview with the legend here. You can also head here to see Maiden’s upcoming ‘Legacy of the Beast’ North American stops.
