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: Lycoming O-540 (235 horsepower) or IO-540 (260 horsepower)
Seats: 4 (or 5)
Propeller: McCauley, constant speed
Length: 23 ft 8 in
Wingspan: 32 ft 11 in
Empty weight: 1,700 lb
Max gros:s 2,800 lb
Useful load: 1,100 lb
Fuel capacity: 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
