Hello to you all, I have at last started on my journey to get a GA license. I come from a gliding background and still occasionally take part in soaring. Having out-landed more than once and been towed out by the tug on a short rope, this experience has sparked a love of off field landing, although in gliding it is seen as a failure of task to outland. The whole experience is fascinating, from finding a suitable field, estimating the wind strength and direction and planning the approach, to a hopefully successful landing without the luxury of a go round is for me a great adrenaline rush. So off field landings are my eventual goal in GA.
I started flying a C150 locally for 2hrs and transitioned to the C172 and soloed after 5hrs. I have been researching taildraggers for about 18months prior to starting my PPL and recently purchased a1980 Maule m5 235, recovered and refurbished in 09. The Maule, because of the 4 seats to take family and 235 mainly because from my research the upshot was,"You can never have to much power,"especially with the short wing.
The trouble is there are no schools locally who teach in taildraggers or have Maule experience. I found a school in Sydney that teach in taildraggers (Citabrias 7GCBCs) and have a lot of Maule experience, but and a big but, is that it is around a 1000ks away. So every couple of weeks I will fly down in a commercial jet and spend a week with them,until I can fly her home, the Maule is kept in their hangar. At this point I have 5 hrs in a Citabria and a couple in my Maule, she was still undergoing the fresh annual, for the sale, when I arrived. Initially I was nervous about flying the Maule, from what I had read, but after the experience in the Citabrias plus the input from my crusty old Maule instructor, she feels very nice and I like the fact that you really need to switch on as a pilot, must be that adrenaline thing
I have found that the stories and pics/vids from this web site and the Maule web site to be inspiring and informative from a skill, experience angle. The fact that I can access so much personal experience with a click of the mouse still amazes me, and it's with this in mind that I thought I would log my journey from beginning to beginning. Next week I head down again with the aim to solo in the Maule and start some navexs. There are pics of her in my gallery, "Pigs do fly."
All the best John

Nice Story! Give us updates as you progress.

GOOD ONYA
GT

Too bad you can't fly the instructor to you, in your Maule, then wear him/her out for a few weeks. Get 'er done!

EB

Well another commute down to the big smoke and back has been completed. It's usually around a 4 n a 1/2 hour trip each way. Well the powers that be decided to do train track work and turned it into a 6 hr each way epic, it kinda feels like the Maule god is just checking on my dedication to the cause, remember David Carridine in Kung Fu where the master made him wait at the gate in rain, sleet and snow well just call me grasshopper, master.
This aircraft is a handful, slowing her down during downwind for ccts was a challenge, have finally got that part under control. I have been mostly doing three pointers in fairly still air on paved with some on grass, like the grass better but want to be confident on bitumen. He's got me at 70 knots on final clean and 60 with flaps 15/ 30. Says I can get it slower as I get more confident. Had an intro to wheelers and nailed a few but bounced a few as well, if I get to bounce twice I go round don't want a third. A xwind with about an 8 knot component was experienced for a day, and the instructor saved me and the plane on more than one occasion. All in all I felt more comfortable flying the Maule after experiencing the adversity of the xwind day, I've come to the conclusion that every landing is a potential go round, until she's down and stopped. I sometimes feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew, but I am chewing like mad and the times it all comes together are such a buzz that I feel I'm Maule addicted. I am trying to load some pics hopefully they'll get there one day.
In the hangar with other TGs
http://www.backcountrypilot.org/gallery ... CN1740.JPG
Two friendly wild foxes.
http://www.backcountrypilot.org/gallery ... CN1768.JPG
http://www.backcountrypilot.org/gallery ... CN1745.JPG
http://www.backcountrypilot.org/gallery ... CN1752.JPG

Out in the sun
http://www.backcountrypilot.org/gallery ... 265296.jpg
http://www.backcountrypilot.org/gallery ... CN1747.JPG

Sounds a lot like my experience . I had 10 hrs in a decathlon when I flew out to Troutdale and bought my M5-235. I brought an instructor that I liked and trusted with me. He had no Maule time either, but had over 1,000 hrs tw time. We learned together. As we passed 1,000 ft leaving Troutdale, he looked at me and said "your in it deep now". He was right. Between the fact that he had no Maule time, and home was a 2,000 x 30 strip with a poor approach and gusty crosswinds, I got discouraged from time to time. I might have given up but for the fact I owned the plane. I'm glad I didn't.

Good to hear that I am not the only impulsive Maule buyer around. JH your shared experience and the fact your down the track from me and have accomplished the goal is encouraging, thanks mate. I would also like to thank all the blokes that post videos of their exploits, these are a great incentive for me, and I am sure all other aspiring BC pilots that visit here.

ozy wrote:Good to hear that I am not the only impulsive Maule buyer around. JH your shared experience and the fact your down the track from me and have accomplished the goal is encouraging, thanks mate. I would also like to thank all the blokes that post videos of their exploits, these are a great incentive for me, and I am sure all other aspiring BC pilots that visit here.

Glider pilots make the best power pilots. Sez this old hang glider pilot

After you feel solid with your takeoffs and landings at training weight, make sure you load her up to gross and fly it heavy. You don't want to pick up three big guys, full fuel, and a cooler of beer right after you get your tailwheel endorsement signed off. Your instructor is probably all over this.

courierguy wrote:

ozy wrote:Good to hear that I am not the only impulsive Maule buyer around. JH your shared experience and the fact your down the track from me and have accomplished the goal is encouraging, thanks mate. I would also like to thank all the blokes that post videos of their exploits, these are a great incentive for me, and I am sure all other aspiring BC pilots that visit here.

Glider pilots make the best power pilots. Sez this old hang glider pilot

Tai'nt that the truth. years ago, I remember the local power only pilots think'in we were crazy taking off in our lil 2 stroke machines when the thermals and winds started poppin off in the middle of the day. While they stayed on the ground, we got hours of cheap airtime. Starting an aviation career in gliding gives one a hell of a solid grounding.??? in the dynamics of flight.

Well I've always said that guitar players make the best pilots. Oh yeah, and big nose dudes too.

EB

ozy wrote:Out in the sun
http://www.backcountrypilot.org/gallery ... 265296.jpg
..........

What's that big airplane parked behind the LH wing of the Maule? Looks like something pretty cool.

It looks like it might be a Pioneer, Ozy ??

Thanks
Had a friend with one in AK.
Last one I saw was in Smithers, BC.

Yahoo!! After 10hrs and many, and I mean many circuits I have soloed in the M5. There is a bit of staining on the seat back from sweat, no not the seat pan from c*@p, although at times there was a bit of puckering happening. For me the thing that has given me confidence in landing is setting the internal go around switch. There's a point now at which something just doesn't feel or look right, and so on with the power and lets try that again. Again there was a lot of variable winds, from 12kts on the nose to 3-6 kts xwind, nice still mornings, even had a 3 kt tailwind at one stage,(my Maule does not like tailwinds and neither do I) just before the tower changed runway direction. It was a lot of fun to have a high approach and slip it down, as well as skidding hard low level from downwind onto final and then getting rid of the drift, now that was a high work load, re: sweat and puckering Still can't say I've greased any on, just some bounce a little less than others, but I am having a ball learning to find that zen moment in the Maule. Having just one up in her the takeoffs are very quick and she just feels nicer, and the bounce is a little less on landing, still working hard on getting them as smooth as possible with a little power but it's tricky, practice practice practice. The instructor has advised me that we'll do some circuits at a heavier weight, so I can feel the difference. Just getting him out made an impact on handling so getting some extra weight in will be interesting to feel. As of now I have 3 hrs solo, the next time I head down in two weeks I have a 3 1/2hr exam, then will be starting my navexs, seven in all with two solo then the PPL flight. I expect all of it will take a couple of weeks. Looking forward to the time I jet down and Maule home. I forgot to take the wifes camera down this time, so the instructor is going to email me the solo hand shake pic.

Ozy,

Congratulations to you. You are set for a wonderful adventure. Learn to fly the Maule slow.... 55 kts on approach..... like the STOL she wants to be....and you will eliminate the bounces.

Blue Skies for you.

Bob

nice work

Good for you.

Sounds Great! Keep us posted..