(crossposted to MaulePilots.org)

Today was my first flight in the left seat of the MX-7-180A I'm going to be buying. I spent a few hours with the person I'm buying it from, becoming familiar with the plane and how it handles both on the ground and in the air.

The overall experience was very nice. The first thing I noticed was how heavy it felt on the ground. I've been flying a C-140 for the past year or so. That plane is super light with a solid tailwheel, and it's essentially a point-and-squirt type of plane in taxi. You think it, and it does it. The Maule has to think about it for a minute before it makes a move. That's a good thing, I suspect, since a good punch on the rudder may not send you off into Neverland in a hurry like the 140 would.

The tail is quite heavy on the Maule in comparison to the 140 (sorry for the continuous comparisons; it's my only frame of tailwheel reference). The 140 tail will come up quite quickly. The Maule tail takes a bit more time to come up during the takeoff run than the 140 does.

It took a bit of effort to keep the mains pinned during the takeoff run. The Maule really wanted to fly! As a matter of fact, when it got off the ground, it went up pretty quickly. It's winter in Wisco so I really didn't have to keep an eye on the engine temps, but climbing out at the recommended 90mph really had nice visibility over the nose. I was at pattern altitude in no time at all.

Landings. Oh, those landings. It really wasn't that hard doing a three-point landing. Typically in the 60mph range before the flair, and it came down nicely. I found it was quite easy to balloon in the flair, so I guess I should let it slow down a little bit more. It'll take a little bit of time for me to get where I can judge the height above the ground better. My first one or two were a little bit firm, but manageable. I tried a wheeler, but bounced the hell out of it. I'll get the 3-pointers figured out with some consistency, then I'll work on the wheels.

The usual air work was really a no-brainer. Stalls, slow flight, steep turns, all that were pretty uneventful. That little controversial tab on the rudder that connects to the ailerons is an interesting little thing. I thought for sure I was going to have to lead with a fair amount of rudder pressure like I do with the 140, but not so much. Kinda cool.

I'm sure I'll learn to love the vernier throttle. It's pretty nice once you get it in the sweet spot where it's a fine turn left or right to change the RPM a hundred revs up or down. When it's at the high end or the low end, it take a fair amount of turning to get it to affect much change.

Flaps are pretty easy. I took off exclusively with the second notch and landed on the third. I didn't try the zero-degree notch for takeoff. It was a calm winter day, so I didn't think much about crosswinds or their effect on things, and how I would adapt to it. Pretty much the perfect day to get some Maule time!

And good times were had by all.
~Chris

I know zip about Maules, but I do have a vernier throttle, which took some getting used to, so I can pass on what I've learned. I'd flown other airplanes with vernier throttles, but not very much, and it had been years before I bought my airplane 13 years ago.

For taxiing, I mostly use the vernier. But if I get into any relatively tight areas where I might need to get off the throttle quickly, I have my hand on the button to unlock it--which may be my thumb or my palm, whichever works under the circumstances.

On take off, I usually use the vernier until the airplane is moving reasonably well, up to maybe 20-25 mph, and then I push the button with my palm and shove the throttle on in.

Prepping for landing, I use the vernier in the pattern. If I touch down carrying power, I push the button and pull off the throttle. Since I already have the button pushed in with my palm on very short final, if I need a burst of power to compensate for a slightly too slow approach, I can just push the throttle as needed.

On a go around, I just push in the button with my palm and firewall it.

You'll get used to it--it just takes practice. I like it, because it's unlikely to change positions if I don't have my hand on it.

Cary

Hello Chris! Congrats on the new plane and good to here you were able to get out and fly that bird! Weather has been crap. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for my PPL. Just have to do my long X-C and checkride but weather has been holding me back, so many cancelled fligths.


Hope to see you and your Maule around!

Bill from Wausau

I'm going to try to get some time with JPC yet this Spring out there in Wausau. I'm currently based in Marshfield but will be relocating to Milwaukee in summer. John makes me want to be a better aviator!

And you're right: weather has been crap!

Congrats on the new plane! You should post some pics. I'm have a Husky at C29. We should meetup sometime.

I sent you a PM.

Joe

Yes indeed! Once I get more comfortable in this beast, I'll get around more. I haven't signed the final papers and written the check yet for another week or so, so I'm flying on the current owner's time.

Hopefully when the weather gets a bit better I'll come down for a visit. Morey is one of my favorite places. I learned to fly there with Mike Love.

~Chris

I would highly recommend that you get some Maule specific training before you get too far down the road. Your insurance company will like that, but remember the old saw, paraphrased: A pilot conducting a self checkout may have a fool for a student.

Especially in a Maule or most other short coupled taildraggers.

MTV

mtv wrote:I would highly recommend that you get some Maule specific training before you get too far down the road. Your insurance company will like that, but remember the old saw, paraphrased: A pilot conducting a self checkout may have a fool for a student.

Especially in a Maule or most other short coupled taildraggers.

MTV

+1

Barnstormer wrote:

mtv wrote:I would highly recommend that you get some Maule specific training before you get too far down the road. Your insurance company will like that, but remember the old saw, paraphrased: A pilot conducting a self checkout may have a fool for a student.

Especially in a Maule or most other short coupled taildraggers.

MTV

+1

Maules are kind of like 195's They are pretty easy to fly and they land pretty well, until they don't!!

mtv wrote:I would highly recommend that you get some Maule specific training before you get too far down the road. Your insurance company will like that, but remember the old saw, paraphrased: A pilot conducting a self checkout may have a fool for a student.

Especially in a Maule or most other short coupled taildraggers.

MTV

Good call

I've heard from an instructor in Northern Illinois so far. Any others in Wisconsin that would care to make themselves known?

Chris, give Rick a call at montanabyair.com .He will square you away at your place or his. He has a 235hp and 160hp and its windy every day in Cutbank. You will learn to fly a Maule with him.

I have to echo the self-checkout rule--it's a good way to muck up a perfectly good airplane. I've done 2 self-checkouts in my life, they both worked out, but it's not a good way. The first was in a PA28 Archer II, which was totally benign although I'd never flown any Piper before then--they're generally pussycats without many vices. The other was in the Mooney 231 that I later flew regularly for its owner, but at least I had quite a few recent hours of earlier model Mooney time, so it was more like learning a higher performance version, plus its suite of advanced (for the time) avionics.

Cary