Maule in Maine?

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brafter

Filing Flight Plan
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brafter
I'm considering purchasing a Maule but haven't ever actually seen one up close, so I'm trying to find one nearby for a quick look. Don't need to go for a ride or anything--just want a chance to sit in the cockpit and assess the comfort, space, etc. Anybody have one in Maine or know someone who does? Taildragger, trigear, floats, you name it. Anything would work. Thanks in advance.
 
A Maule with a chin support (nose dragger) is sacrilege.

I'm sure there is one in Maine.
Comfortable front seats, watch the CG, some handle better with a little weight in baggage.
 
Interesting, thanks for the heads-up about CG. Good to hear the seats are comfortable. It certainly does seem that there would be a Maule or two up here... hoping to find one to sneak a peak at.
 
brafter said:
Interesting, thanks for the heads-up about CG. Good to hear the seats are comfortable. It certainly does seem that there would be a Maule or two up here... hoping to find one to sneak a peak at.
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When you get a chance to see one, note the way they are built. you won't be impressed.
 
There is nothing unusual about Maules that would require any special attention. They are really just a slightly stretched Piper Pacer with longer wings, a couple of extra doors and a bigger engine (BD Maule started out working for Piper) As for build quality, well there is a reason a brand new Maule costs about half of what a new Cessna costs and some of the things like door latches and seat adjustments are straight out of the 50's but overall it's a rugged, honest airplane with a few rough edges.

Not overly roomy however and getting in and out of it is not as easy as a Cessna. I'm close to the standard 1960's FAA guy at 5'11" and 180 lbs and it was a little bit of a scrunch to get that first leg and torso through the door. A passenger will have to keep his legs in a certain position during maneuvers so as not to get in the way of the yoke or pedals. Our M7 had Oregon Aero seats so was fairly comfortable for long periods, I'm not sure about the standard seats. I don't think there would be enough room to use a memory foam cushion on top of them unless you were really short.

Here's a link to a Maule FAQ sheet. If you talk to Jeremy he's one of the most knowledgeable Maule guys I know but on the wrong coast for you.
 
brafter said:
Anything specific you'd recommend paying attention to?
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The door hinge is a prime example of how it's built, two washers welded to a "L" bracket.
When loaded to gross weight, the fuselage will warp and you can not get the doors closed.
They are notorious a fabric fuselage, and metal wings, the aircraft has been plagued with corrosion in the rear fuselage longerons.
These are proof that a M6-540 maule will do what a tripacer will on 150 horses.

Yes, I do not like them, I was really glad when some body bought mine for more than I paid for it.
 
Thanks guys, the information is invaluable. I appreciate it.
 
FWIW it wasn't a bad experience for me. We got a new M7-235C in 2003 and flew it everywhere over a ten year period from Key West to Talkeetna to Cabo San Lucas and all points in between. Never had any real trouble with it and was sad to see it go due to circumstances beyond my control. Sold it to a rancher in Montana.
 
Watch out for the ones that haven't had the thicker wing skins installed. M7'S
 
Mostly cosmetic, the skins aren't structural as it is basically just a "metalized" fabric wing using sheet metal instead of fabric to cover it. You'll notice also that Maule uses a lot of pop rivets.

What they have is "bang for the buck" especially if you compare new prices, you can't beat them with a stick.
 
Silvaire said:
Mostly cosmetic, the skins aren't structural as it is basically just a "metalized" fabric wing using sheet metal instead of fabric to cover it. You'll notice also that Maule uses a lot of pop rivets.

What they have is "bang for the buck" especially if you compare new prices, you can't beat them with a stick.
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You had best do a bit of research before you make that assertion.
 
Tim said:
You had best do a bit of research before you make that assertion.
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A rebuttal of substance would help. I always thought that for what they were, Maules were a lot of airplane for the money..

A guy here has one at the airpark and he puts skis on it in the winter and big tundra tires on it in the summer and flies to Idaho for some fishing. He doesn't seem to hate it much.
 
Tim said:
You had best do a bit of research before you make that assertion.
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Owned one, been to the factory and saw them building them. It is not a stressed skin design such as a Cessna. That's why it has two struts (just like a Piper Pacer) and the skins are put on with blind rivets. Not saying there's anything wrong with that, it's just the nature of the basic design.
 
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