maiden is not a topic to horse around with
Agreed.
I think they've reached a level of musical maturity in the past few years that few (if any) other bands have been able to reach. Since the day Brave New World was released it has been my favourite Maiden album, and one of my top 5 albums of all time.
I think the only bad albums they've released were DOD (not at all a bad album, but the title track was pure Stonehenge, and the cover ...

uke: Still can't get over it. Makes it hard to take seriously) and Virtual XI.
The X Factor was brilliant. It was much darker than anything they've done before. Sign of the Cross and the Edge of Darkness are classics as far as I'm concerned.
Blaze's voice fits much better with his solo stuff. I've nothing against him. He just wasn't right for Maiden. But no one could be as right for Maiden as Bruce.
And I'm sure Bruce will have no problems flying the band around. The man must have some freakish, advanced form of ADHD. He just doesn't sit still. Between Maiden, his solo stuff, fencing, writing two books and a film, flying, cycling, presenting two radio shows, and appearing on several tv programs ... he'll probably be bored just touring and flying!
Fanboy rant over. Sorry.