Maule Air
TypePrivate
IndustryAviation
Founded1941
HeadquartersMoultrie, Georgia, U.S.
ProductsAircraft
Number of employees
36
Websitewww.mauleairinc.com

Maule Air, Inc. is a manufacturer of light, single-engined, short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft, based in Moultrie, Georgia, U.S. The company delivered 2,500 aircraft in its first 50 years of business.

History

Belford D. Maule (1911–1995) designed his first aircraft, the M-1 starting at age 19. He founded the company Mechanical Products Co. in Napoleon, Michigan to market his own starter design. In 1941 the B.D. Maule Co. was founded,[1] and Maule produced tailwheels and fabric testers. In 1953 he began design work, and started aircraft production with the "Bee-Dee" M-4 in 1957.[2]

The company is a family-owned enterprise. Its owner, June Maule, widow of B. D. Maule, remained directly involved with factory production until her death in 2009 at the age of 92.[3]

Products

The aircraft produced by Maule Air are tube-and-fabric designs and are popular with bush pilots[4] thanks to their very low stall speed, tundra tires and 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 2500 lbs 40 mph 158 mph
M-9-235 32' 11" 235 HP Lycoming O-540-B4B5 2800 lbs 46 mph 158 mph
M-9-235 235 HP Lycoming IO-540-W1A5
M-9-260 260 HP Lycoming IO-540-V4A5 162 mph

References

  1. General Aviation News. 8 July 2011. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. Experimenter. November 1957. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. Marsh, Alton K. (30 October 2009). "Matriarch of Maule Air dies at 92". Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
  4. "Maule Air STOL – Maule Air STOL".
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