I am in love with the Maule and will be purchasing one in about a year, I was going over the specifications and notice it had a negative flap range. What is this used for? Is it for adjustment purposes only or would you ever use a negative flap setting? Also I noticed that you can purchase Maule's from the factory or a dealer, obviously a dealer is going to have some mark up is there a disadvantage from purchasing directly from Maule?

Negative flap setting results in about 5 mPH increase in cruise speed. My M4 doesn't have the feature but M7's MX 7's and the newer models do. I had this demonstrated to me when I was searching for my Maule and rode in a MX 7. Pretty cool addition. Unfortunately the M4 doesn't have it.

My M7 has it and it works like iceman says. You have to remember not to use it when you want to climb. It doesn't work so good then.

Rob

The long wing Maules have a -7 reflex when the flap handle is all of the way down. It is an attempt to spill some of the excess lift from a wing that generates too much lift for higher cruise speeds. There is a point at where it becomes self defeating though. In my M-6, that is about 12,000 ft. At or above that altitude your actually faster with the first notch of flaps, which is 0 deg.
Down low for me the speed difference is only about 2 kts. max, but what I really like is that when you put the flaps to -7 it raises the nose slightly and levels the fuselage.
I think Maule has the greatest difference in speed between stall and cruise for any single engine piston airplane when the difference is measured in percent. I would imagine the Mooney acclaim has the greatest difference when measured in Kts.
Before you buy anything from anybody Maule wise, talk to Jeremy Aimsworth. I don't think he is a Maule dealer anymore, but he probably has more knowledge about them than any dealer.
You may also want to get with David Wright. If you can wait a year or so David builds custom Maules that are better in fit and finish, paint etc. than the factory new ones. Might could save some money that way too.
My gut feeling is that you may actually save a little money going through a dealer, and if it's somebody like Jeremy, you will be better service also. I wouldn't think the factory would undercut the dealers price wise, or why would anybody be a dealer?
Everything has a drawback to it, with Maules I would say it's insurance. Shop that first before you decide to buy.

Thanks for the great responses. I can tell all ready this is an awesome site! That is very cool that I got answers so quickly. I am In the Air Force deployed to Peru, up in the mountains and watching airplanes come in and land and take off is driving me nuts, because this would be the chance of a life time to fly a bush plane here in the Andie's. Oh well maybe some other time I will make it back down here with my own plane. Again thanks for great replies, cheers!

Checkout maulepilots.org too for some good Maule talk.

I had 2 maules and i thouroughly enjoyed them. They were a little rough on paint and finish back then, but have heard they have improved lots. A good honest airplane and fast for the horses. Many fond memories when i was much younger, flew them coast to coast. Bought one in bellingham washington, jumped in and taught myself to fly tailwheels (legal then, but not smart). Flew her to maine on a wing and a prayer, i had no idea what i was doing. I made it home without wrecking. My passenger friend had never been in a plane before. What a trip for him with a young cocky inexperienced tailwheel pilot. Oh to be 20 again. Best of luck and you will have a ball in a maule.

There are a lot of great used low time Maules. Maules are known to be a little difficult on the ground. I tell people about my Maule....

The good news is that it is maneuverable, the bad news is that it is maneuverable....

I think a lot of people buy them because they are a great value for the performance and then can't get comfortable in a cross wind. As you have read here, the insurance rates are high on Maules due to the losses, mostly landing accidents.

The Maule has a short and fat empennage that aggravates the weathervaning tendency of any taildragger.

And if you are going to get a Maule, the O-540 is the best engine to get. Reliable with plenty of power. The Franklin is a good running engine, but has parts made out of unobtainium. The power has gotten me out of a lot of tight situations, both taking off and landing, is great to have that power when the landing is just not what it should be and a near gross weight go around is needed.

But also remember that Maules are purchased by people who mostly want to go off airport or on dirt strips. A careful pre-purchase inspection by someone who really knows Maules. The airframes are tough, but people do bend landing grears and weaken bolts. The fabric is something to look at because it can look pretty good and not be good at all. That is a high dollar item to replace.

Of course you will want to look for damage history, a good engine and avionics.

Go to the maulepilots.com website and check out what is there. Lots to learn about the issues. Be careful, most Maules do not suffer from the problems you will find on the site. But it is a great way to find the odd stuff to look for.

If you can afford a new one, then by all means, get a new one. The QC at the factory has improved greatly over the years.

I'm just joining this forum, so please forgive the time lapse from your original question. I've owned a 1986 Maule MX-7-180 for 10 years. It has the -7 degree flap setting. I've done a few controlled experiments and have found that it adds about 2 - 3 mph to the airspeed, depending on altitude. It's used in cruise or descent, not climb, to reduce the lift/induced drag created by the big wing at higher airspeeds.

Andy