Flight Training - June 2020 - 17

RAMP APPEAL

BY DAVE HIRSCHMAN

Q U I C K LO O K

Looking to buy?
See how the Maule
measures up

How much: Vref shows
a value of $309,000
for the 2016 model.
Buy it: If hauling
heavy loads off short
strips is essential.
Skip it: If you don't
like fabric.
Finance: AOPA
Finance estimates a
monthly payment of
$1,630 for a purchase
price of $310,000
with 15 percent down,
a 20-year term, and a
4.25-percent rate.

MAULE M-9
A PROVEN FORMULA

MAULE AIR STICKS TO THE SCRIPT. THE FAMILY-OWNED COMPANY HAS BEEN BUILDING

single-engine, fabric-covered, high-wing fixed-gear utility aircraft since the 1940s, and
the recent surge in STOL popularity makes its strategy seem prescient.
The mostly four-seat airplanes are built around a tubular steel, fabric-covered frame,
and piston engines range in power from 180 to 260 horsepower. Early Maules all had
tailwheels, but now the company offers tricycle landing gear and floatplane options.
Maule aircraft are meant to carry heavy loads to and from short, rugged airstrips,
and they willingly sacrifice speed for carrying capacity. The company's top-of-the-line
M-9 can get off the ground in just 400 feet at full gross weight while carrying a load of
more than 1,000 pounds. Its cruise speed at 75 percent power is 141 knots.
Maules are available with IFR or VFR instrumentation, and fuel capacity of current
models is typically 85 gallons or more. Those big fuel tanks give them exceptional range
and endurance-major considerations for utility airplanes built to fly in remote regions.
Maules have large, distinctive vertical stabilizers, and clamshell cargo doors allow
them to easily fit bulky items. Tailwheel versions have a well-deserved reputation for
being difficult to land in strong crosswinds.
Maules are especially popular in Alaska, where range and carrying capacity are major
considerations. They're also gaining popularity at backcountry airstrips where their ability to carry four (or even five) people sets them apart from other, mostly two-seat, STOL
airplanes. They compete with Cessna 180s and 185s, which have been out of production
for decades, as well as Cessna 182s and 206s, which tend to be faster but far more expensive. They also face some competition from kit airplanes like the four-seat Bearhawk.
The company was founded by B.D. Maule, and was operated for many years by his
wife, June. Brent Maule, their grandson, is now the president and chief executive.

SPEC SHEET
Maule M-9
SPECIFICATIONS
Powerplant

Seats
Propeller
Length
Wingspan
Empty weight
Max gross
Useful load
Fuel capacity

Lycoming
O-540 (235
horsepower) or
IO-540 (260
horsepower)
4 (or 5)
McCauley,
constant speed
23 ft 8 in
32 ft 11 in
1,700 lb
2,800 lb
1,100 lb
85 gal usable

PERFORMANCE
Takeoff distance
409 ft
Landing distance, ground roll 250 ft
Stall speed
43 kt (with flaps
extended)
Max demonstrated crosswind 12 kt
Cruise speed
141 KTAS at 75
percent power
Ceiling
20,000 ft

dave.hirschman@aopa.org

AOPA.ORG/FT

http://www.AOPA.ORG/FT

Flight Training - June 2020

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