Maule Air
Maule Air, Inc. is a manufacturer of light, single-engined, short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft, based in Moultrie, Georgia, USA. Maule has delivered 2,500 aircraft in its first 50 years of business.
History
Founded in 1941 by Belford D. Maule (1911–1995), it is still a family-owned enterprise. The company's owner, June Maule, widow of B.D. Maule, died in 2009 at the age of 92.[1] She remained directly involved with Maule Air's factory production until her death.[1]
Products
B.D. Maule designed his own aircraft, the M-1 starting at age 19. He started the company Mechanical Products Co. in Jackson, Michigan to market his own starter design. In 1941 The B.D. Maule Co. was founded. [2] Maule produced tailwheels and fabric testers. In 1953 Maule started design work, and started aircraft production with the "Bee-Dee" M-4 in 1957.[3] The aircraft produced by Maule Air are tube-and-fabric designs and are popular with bush pilots, thanks to their very low stall speed, their tundra tires and very forgiving oleo strut landing gear. Most Maules are built with tailwheel or amphibious configurations, although the newer MXT models have tricycle gear.
Aircraft models
| Model |
Wingspan |
Engine |
Gross weight |
Vso |
VLD |
| M4-210 |
29'8" |
210 HP Continental |
2300 lbs |
28 MPH |
145 MPH |
| M4-220 |
220 HP Franklin |
| M-5-180C |
30'10" |
180 HP Lycoming Carb |
2400 lbs |
38 MPH |
135 MPH |
| M-5-200C |
200 HP Lycoming Injected |
2500 lbs |
38 MPH |
140 MPH |
| M-5-210TC |
210 HP Lycoming Turbo |
2500 lbs |
38 mph |
196 mph |
| M-5-210C |
210 HP Continental Injected |
2500 lbs |
38 mph |
145 mph |
| M-5-235C |
235 HP Lycoming carb |
2500 lbs |
38 mph |
158 mph |
| M-5-235C |
235 HP Lycoming injected |
2500 lbs |
39 mph |
158 mph |
| M-6-235 |
32' 11" |
235 HP Lycoming O-540-J1A5D |
2500 lbs |
35 mph |
160 mph |
| M-6-235 |
235 HP Lycoming IO-540-W1A5D |
| M-7 |
33' 6" |
235 HP Lycoming IO-540-W |
|
|
|
| M-9 |
|
230 HP SMA SR305 Diesel |
|
|
|
Maule aircraft in popular culture
A Maule M-5 was featured in the Burt Reynolds movie The Cannonball Run. The aircraft demonstrates its extraordinary STOL capabilities by executing a landing and later take-off from a small town street among trees, buildings, and skirting under power lines.
An amphibious Maule crashes into a tower on an oil tanker in the Sandra Bullock movie Speed 2: Cruise Control. An amphibious Maule was also featured in the Danny Glover movie Gone Fishin'.
The Maule M-7 is one of the default aircraft in Microsoft Flight Simulator X, both with and without skis.
Gallery
References
External links
|
Aircraft designed by Belford Maule or produced by Maule Air
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| General |
|
|
| Military |
|
|
| Accidents/incidents |
|
|
| Records |
|
|