Isaac wrote:It is fun to see a new post and so many responses in the same day -and it is about Maules!
If your flights with family don’t require strips under 600-800 feet the 180 hp with universal wings will do it as long as there aren’t much for obstacles. They do fly nicely. You will find they need about twice as long of take off roll as landing when loaded.

If you can find a nice 235 HP ( my favorite is the A model )you will be able to get out of anywhere you can land.

I now have some kids out of the house. I am so glad I took out a loan young to get a plane that I could take my family out in and build memories, rather than wait until I could pay in cash after my kids were all gone.

I hope you find a good one that brings you and your family a lot of joy.

Hey Isaac, good to hear from you. I had to dig into your A-model comment and discovered there are wing differences amongst the M7-235, 235A, and 235B, with apparently the "A" being the longest.

Still haven't gotten out with my neighbor, the wx has been poor up (down?) here this week.

Zane, I for one would be happy to see a Zane's Airplane go-fund-me available to every regular user on this site. Many here contribute already to the site upkeep, which is how it should be. But it should also hurt our collective conscience that the owner of this site we've grown up with, or gown old with, hasn't had a daily driver to his name since I don't even know how long. You've poured half a lifetime into this community and asked nothing in return. Since we can't give you project time, maybe we can at least expand the search parameters, or take the worry of a new engine out of the equation. Of course you'd never ask, which is exactly why I am.

Cheers,
-DP

SAME!!!!!

JC

That’s sweet of you guys. Simon, I love you man for even thinking that way, and I honestly am glad someone noticed the struggle, but I could never be on the receiving end of that kind of thing. I’m a grown-ass man with a decent day job who’s made my own bed and I need to navigate my way into a flying airplane like everyone else. That said, it’s effectively all one bucket so supporting BCP in the usual way ultimately makes my life easier. Or whisper in the ear of your favorite brand to advertise with us.

I may liquidate the BH but it’s a hard decision and even harder to deal with the tire kickers and scrutiny. Choosing the Bearhawk was always about going experimental more than the BH itself. Some may think i’m just retarded and incompetent but the story is complicated. Years of planning, research, parts and accessory acquisition, building my engine, fuselage mods and metal fab (many of which have since been incorporated into modern kits) and still little to show. Can’t really chalk any of that up to cherished memories. Now, i have the ultimate workspace 2 minutes from home. My good friend akschu is nearing completion and rather than inspire me it gives me a sinking feeling seeing all that work ahead. It’s tough to comprehend the endless tedium and micro-detail that goes into building an airplane if you’ve never done it. I think I now have the prescience to group myself with the guys who got in over their heads in the grand scheme of life, work, marriage, fatherhood, etc. I even have a hard time enjoying random youtube videos of flying because it reminds me of my failure, my inability to avoid this common pitfall.

Anyway, woe is me. I can afford to buy a flying airplane and i’m going to do it before life throws me a more serious curveball. I’m already carrying the scarlet letter of Poser so what’s to lose aside from choosing poorly and needing a $60k engine overhaul?

How about those Maules? Basically heavy Bearhawks with yokes and a weird tail? I’m seeing a lot of cross-conversion of models in my search. I think that’s kind of neat that it’s possible with the factory’s blessing. Reminds me of the service letter collections from Aeronca.

Zzz wrote:That’s sweet of you guys. Simon, I love you man for even thinking that way, and I honestly am glad someone noticed the struggle, but I could never be on the receiving end of that kind of thing. I’m a grown-ass man with a decent day job who’s made my own bed and I need to navigate my way into a flying airplane like everyone else. That said, it’s effectively all one bucket so supporting BCP in the usual way ultimately makes my life easier. Or whisper in the ear of your favorite brand to advertise with us.

I may liquidate the BH but it’s a hard decision and even harder to deal with the tire kickers and scrutiny. Choosing the Bearhawk was always about going experimental more than the BH itself. Some may think i’m just retarded and incompetent but the story is complicated. Years of planning, research, parts and accessory acquisition, building my engine, fuselage mods and metal fab (many of which have since been incorporated into modern kits) and still little to show. Can’t really chalk any of that up to cherished memories. Now, i have the ultimate workspace 2 minutes from home. My good friend akschu is nearing completion and rather than inspire me it gives me a sinking feeling seeing all that work ahead. It’s tough to comprehend the endless tedium and micro-detail that goes into building an airplane if you’ve never done it. I think I now have the prescience to group myself with the guys who got in over their heads in the grand scheme of life, work, marriage, fatherhood, etc. I even have a hard time enjoying random youtube videos of flying because it reminds me of my failure, my inability to avoid this common pitfall.

Anyway, woe is me. I can afford to buy a flying airplane and i’m going to do it before life throws me a more serious curveball. I’m already carrying the scarlet letter of Poser so what’s to lose aside from choosing poorly and needing a $60k engine overhaul?

How about those Maules? Basically heavy Bearhawks with yokes and a weird tail? I’m seeing a lot of cross-conversion of models in my search. I think that’s kind of neat that it’s possible with the factory’s blessing. Reminds me of the service letter collections from Aeronca.

You ain't no poser to this Dude......find a good one, and get on with life! I went flying today, just putzing around the valley, and my attitude/perspective/outlook took a huge upward vector.....flying has almosta always done that for me, and I'm guessing you'll find the same.

If any of us can help in any way, get in touch.

I want to say something about the Maule company—they might be a national treasure. I had some specific model/conversion questions and called Brent Maule directly from the number on their website. He picked up and had all the time in his day for me even after I told him I was only looking at used aircraft. Full of helpful information. That's really cool.

Zzz wrote:I want to say something about the Maule company—they might be a national treasure. I had some specific model/conversion questions and called Brent Maule directly from the number on their website. He picked up and had all the time in his day for me even after I told him I was only looking at used aircraft. Full of helpful information. That's really cool.

You still need a “Like” button

Kidding aside, I think we are all looking forward to you getting a plane

Zzz wrote:I want to say something about the Maule company—they might be a national treasure.

Before buying my Maule, I stopped off at Maule Flight on the way to Sun-N-Fun and got a couple of hours of dual with Ray Maule back in 2013. Those companies (both Maule Air and the separate Maule Flight) are national treasures. They've avoided growing too big so their overhead doesn't become the kiss of death during slow times. The downside of that survival tactic is that parts can be slow to source and they've turned over management of their manuals and handbooks to disinterested 3rd parties that don't provide anywhere near the level of service that Maule does. I still like being part of the family - and that's what Maule is - a family operation.

Get da' Maule.

I think the 180hp boxes FAR beyond its weight class. My little MX7-180B came home to CA from PA at near gross weight running the long range fuel tanks. I crossed the Rockies at Cokeville U06 and the Sierras at Tahoe at 11,600' in the hot afternoon sun. Yes, the 180hp engine only generated about 21" of manifold pressure leaned out for power taking off from Cokeville's 6,270' MSL gravel strip at 9am. Would it have been a lot more comfortable riding behind a bigger engine if that was my daily density altitude experience? Of course, but that Maule wing with a notch of flaps is pretty unstoppable once the air starts flowing.

The 180hp also keeps me honest about its limits too.

90% of my flying destinations are <4000' MSL. My airport is at 400' MSL and with the Maule at 1/2 gross weight and 1 notch flaps, she is off the runway in 100' (I swear it feels like less) and climbs out at 1,700 fpm by 90mph. This Maule lives up to its "Star Rocket" name. It only drinks about 8-9 gal/hour and cruises at 125 to 135mph. Down and clear in a few hundred feet. Hauls half a ton. Perfect pickup truck.

Blackguard-6 wrote:Get da' Maule.

I think the 180hp boxes FAR beyond its weight class. My little MX7-180B came home to CA from PA at near gross weight running the long range fuel tanks. I crossed the Rockies at Cokeville U06 and the Sierras at Tahoe at 11,600' in the hot afternoon sun. Yes, the 180hp engine only generated about 21" of manifold pressure leaned out for power taking off from Cokeville's 6,270' MSL gravel strip at 9am. Would it have been a lot more comfortable riding behind a bigger engine if that was my daily density altitude experience? Of course, but that Maule wing with a notch of flaps is pretty unstoppable once the air starts flowing.

The 180hp also keeps me honest about its limits too.

90% of my flying destinations are <4000' MSL. My airport is at 400' MSL and with the Maule at 1/2 gross weight and 1 notch flaps, she is off the runway in 100' (I swear it feels like less) and climbs out at 1,700 fpm by 90mph. This Maule lives up to its "Star Rocket" name. It only drinks about 8-9 gal/hour and cruises at 125 to 135mph. Down and clear in a few hundred feet. Hauls half a ton. Perfect pickup truck.

90% of my flying will be solo, and I love the idea of less mass. It would be great if I was a bachelor, but i have a set of growing 3rd/4th graders who like flying. It’s on floats where you really need that abundance of power, not unlike high elevation. But everything about it costs more.

You should just post your build thread here See the help section for posting images tutorial.

I wouldn’t consider anything with less than 235hp. I’ve given ski instruction to someone in one with an 0-540 and flew a similar aircraft with the same engine for many years on skis and floats. Unless you you’re using a groomed snow runway or have a lake two miles long for when on floats it’s going to be useless with an 0-360.