Maule Air
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 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation |
| Founded | 1941 |
| Headquarters | Moultrie, Georgia, U.S. |
| Products | Aircraft |
Number of employees | 36 |
| Website | www |
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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]| 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 |
Gallery
[edit]-
Maule MX-7-235 Super Rocket, built 1987 -
A Maule amphibian -
Maule M7-235B Super Rocket, built 1999
References
[edit]- ^ General Aviation News. 8 July 2011.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Experimenter. November 1957.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Marsh, Alton K. (30 October 2009). "Matriarch of Maule Air dies at 92". Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
- ^ "Maule Air STOL – Maule Air STOL".
External links
[edit]