Maule M-4

Jerry Pfister, e-mail, 18.11.2016 03:56 I was the proud owner of an M-4 with the 220 HP Franklin, I bought this aircraft and was not even a pilot. With a patient instructor I had absolutely no problems learning all about the Maule's capabilities. I flew this aircraft for work and pleasure logging 1,229 hours. Due to health reasons I parted company with it after 21 years. reply

Jim b, e-mail, 28.04.2015 02:36 No it does not look like the M -4 I had for 9 years. The Maule in my opinion is one of the best mountain aircraft you could ask to fly. Mine had a 220 and in Idaho you need the power . It would lift off the grass strip setting at 5000' and clime at 1800 fpm gross wt. Maules have a bad reputation for ground looping and meany have under lazy feet. 40318 was my baby and I have several nice photos before and after my friend ground looped it. I would buy it and start all over again if I could. reply

Jim b, 28.04.2015 02:21 No it does not look like the M -4 I had for 9 years. The Maule in my opinion is one of the best mountain aircraft you could ask to fly. Mine had a 220 and in Idaho you need the power . It would lift off the grass strip setting at 5000' and clime at 1800 fpm gross wt. Maules have a bad reputation for ground looping and meany have under lazy feet. 40318 reply

Pat Williams, e-mail, 22.03.2015 05:45 What prop did the m-4-180 with a1 franklin run reply

Phil Sattler, e-mail, 21.06.2012 05:17 I thought Maule was built at Napolion, Mich. South of Jackson, Mich. Didn't B.D. Maule get his start by building tail wheels assy's? reply

Ike Sweesy, e-mail, 21.02.2011 17:41 My Uncle Thomas Emmette Stancil, Jr. ran the FBO at Washington North Carolina where Belford Maule himself dropped in giving demonstrations up and down the east coast. I was pumping gas for my Uncle and did odd jobs in the summers for flying time. Mr Maule put me in the left seat and 'instructed' me in "STOL" and its handling, but I don't have a logbook entry - dang!. It would have been the summer of either '64 or '65. Good memories! My son-in-law's father, Scott Colledge, had a Maule up in Alaska for hunting and fishing but has since sold it. Daryn flew in it until he got up to 'NFL football bulk'. reply

KV, e-mail, 01.01.2011 18:27 I owned a 1966 Maule M-4 210C for 20 years. I have a good picture I can send you. reply

Bob Olds, e-mail, 16.12.2010 01:01 I flew a California Highway Patrol Maule M-4 210-C from Barstow-Daggett Airport , CA. from 1975 to about 1979 and logged 4-5K hours. A good working airplane for the job we had. Wingspan short enough to land on highways between the road signs and handled rough dirt strips / roads well ( AFTER installing a Scott tailwheel! ) It took a year or two to grow my ankles to be comfortable on the rudders , but they did ! After 8,000 hrs it was sold and reolaced by a M-5 with o-540 Lyc. I actually liked the M-4 better ! EXCEPT that the 0-360 Continental required removing and cleaning exhaust valves at most hundred hour inspections! reply

Randy, e-mail, 23.11.2010 06:23 My first airplane was an M-4 Jetasen and it performed on par with a Cessna 170. reply

John Kerr, e-mail, 09.11.2010 04:03 I flew a 1971 M-4 221 C Lunar Rocket, Maule, for about 300 hours. It's only probllem was over heating during climb outs in the Arizona desert areas. It was an honest aircraft....if you provided input on the controls..you got output! The Maule was not comfortable to ride in or fly in some cases...but; the price was more than reasonable, in my opinon! I landed just prior to AZ Monsoon Storm in a 19 Kt, 90 degrees cross wind..My hands were full but the airplane did it's job. I flew N3ML until the group that owned it when I flew it....sold it and that group's main pilot totaled it by flying into telephone wires..if they had been in a Cessna ..all 4 of them would have been killed. That welded steel fuselage collapsed, expending enough energy so that there were no serious injuries to the pilot or his 3 other passenger's. The more I flew N3ML the more I liked it...it's not an airplane for a novice pilot. One of Deer Valley Airports, control tower operator's would often have me slide over to another runway at the last instant...or have me cut short a down wind leg for landing..full flaps and in a turning slip got it to the ground in a hurry! The roll out on landing was super short! The Maule I flew had the 220 HP Franklin Engine...I didn't like the Franklin at first..but; I found it to be very reliable...just don't dive down to 180 IAS and suddenly pull up..if you do, the spark plugs will (some of them) get lead on the spark plugs! Contrary to articles I've seen in the "FLYING MAGAZINE," you can't do wheel landings. I did them in the day and night times, to. This Maule had over sized tires and still at max weight..would fly over the 145 IAS, listed in the owner's manual for normal cruise!! I flew it cross country with head phones and those little spongy earplugs, too..at 2,600 RMP and full power at 5K' and upwards..of course the manifold pressure would drop with alititde increases. At the above settings I got and IAS of 130 to 135 IAS...at 9.9 gals per hour! The Maule had no METO setting..just keep the engine cool in climbs..it was rated for 2,800 RPM (Too noisy) and max manifold pressure! WOW! That derated 410 HP Helicopter engine did the work. I think a re-design of the oil cooler's intake would solve the oil heating too much and too quik in a fast climb. I was medically grounded due to high blood pressure from an old employment injury. I SURE MISS FLYING THAT HOT ROD MAULE AND I LOVED IT WHEN SOME OTEHR PILOT CALLED THE PHOENIX, AZ CONTROL TOWER FOR LANDING INFO AND THEY WERE TOLD TO FOLLOW THE MAULE AHEAD, YOU WERE 3RD, 4TH OR WHAT EVER AIRCRAFT IN THE LANDING SEQUENCE. THEIR REPLY, "WHAT'S A MAULE!? TOWER; "JUST FOLLOW THE RED /ORANGE / AND WHITE HI WINGED AIRPLANE IN FRONT OF YOU!" Sincerely John reply

Jim, e-mail, 13.10.2010 19:45 Not a pic of an M-4, I own an M-4 ser. # 18 built in Jackson MI. I have Mr. Maule in several logbook enteries on the aircraft. N12008 reply

Dave Norris, e-mail, 27.08.2010 10:26 How about an M6 /B Maule? I flew one to the Bahamas and back and the owner stated that this was the model desig. A pure STOL with a big 6 eng. and a bear to land in a cross wind. Supposedly Gary Maule landed and flew out of a football field in one. It was fitted with a LIVE tailwheel, the same wheel and tire as on a J2 Cub. We blew the rear wheel landing in a hard crosswind on Eluthera, a 500$ repair. A wretched little bird, not at all suited for 1.5K+ cross country flying. reply

Richard Griswold, e-mail, 12.03.2010 20:26 I have some pictures of a 1963 Maule M-4 that I used to own. I can email them to you if you would like. reply

Marty, e-mail, 24.02.2010 14:24 The pictures is of a 1996 M7 235B. Look up the N number. The M4 has a rounded vertical stab (I owned one) and was not in production until 1962, not 1954. reply

Gary, 27.01.2010 00:56 This is registered as a 1996 M-7-235B, IO 540 reply

Doug, e-mail, 13.01.2010 00:07 It's hard to tell from this angle but the depicked aircraft is probably a M-5-235C. The M-4 has a distinctive rounded vertical stabilizer. reply

mary, e-mail, 02.07.2009 22:25 this is not a picture of an M-4 reply