My brother and I have an equal partnership in a 2005 Cessna 206 w/ the G1000. I'm thinking that I'd like to sell my half at the end of the summer and possibly buy a new instrument equipped Maule, a 180 or 185, or ride out a somewhat sticky partnership with my brother in the 206. The 206 is a great bird, but I'm not happy with the visibility and a few other factors. My dad used to own a Maule, so I'm looking in that direction. Also, my husband is a pilot, too, but can't "fly" the 206 until he gets his instrument license per insurance...I had the same restriction, which really helped me hustle to get my instrument done; but b/c of work, it doesn't look like he will have the time to get his instru. license anytime soon. We are hoping our insurance won't be so stringent with another plane.

Anything you could tell me about the characterisitics of a Maule would be great (visibility, handling, etc.). We have the cub already, but my husband and I wanted a plane to take our 3 children around in. And I'm partial to taildraggers!

Gotta agree with John on this one. The Maule is a great airplane, a little more cozy inside than the 206, but excellent if you want to go off airport. However, it probably won't be adequate for carrying a family of five. Sure, you can buy an M-7 with the third seat, but you won't have much luggage capacity with it in place, and the passenger in that seat better be small and used to being isolated in less than spacious accommodations. Since you already have your tailwheel endorsement and some hours in a Cub getting insurance shouldn't be difficult for you, but you may find yourself surprised by the price until you get some hours in type.

Have you shopped around to get some insurance quotes for some of these different planes? It might help you determine which way you might want to go. Since you're partial to taildraggers a C185 would probably meet your needs the best if you want to move into another plane right away, but of course the price of admission is going to be really steep.

How old are your kids and what size are they? How much longer do you realistically expect them to be traveling with you? Seems like as soon as they hit their teens they no longer want to be seen with mom and dad let alone travel with them. You might want to gut it out in your partnership with your bro for a couple of more years, and then move into a Maule when one or more of your kids refuses to travel with you anymore. When you sell half your share in the 206 you'll easily be able to buy a nice used Maule and still put a bunch of gas and maintenance moola in the bank. From a low cost maintenance standpoint the Maule is definitely the way to go and much less costly to operate than the C185.

Sorry about the scattergun answer, but there's a whole lot of things to consider here and they're popping into my head piecemeal.

Regarding your question about the visibility from a Maule. The best I can suggest would be to locate one near you and see if you can get the owner to let you sit in it with the seat adjusted for you and see what you think. Seems to me the visibilty is average for a high wing plane, but it's even better with patroller doors, and outstanding with the skylight option.

Maybe you can talk the same owner into a flight to explore how it handles.

jmtgt and Strata~Thank you for the input! I'm thinking you guys are absolutely right...with a family of 5, stick with the 206 until they're teenagers. Right now they are 10, 8, and 6, so I still think I can stuff them into any space. But seriously, I'm sitting on a gold mine with the 206; I'm very fortunate to own one with my brother. I think it's the whole nostalgia thing of, "My dad used to own a Maule and is not fond of the 206 so..." and the "Wow, to own my OWN plane!" thing. Oh, and then there's the wee issue of a tailwheel.

Also, as much as I am a control hog, I'd like my husband to be able to be PIC, too.

We haven't looked into any other birds...still in the kicking ideas around stage.

I hope I didn't sound like I was displeased with the 206! Excellent plane...I love flying it and G1000 is amazing (MUST keep my head out of the cockpit)! It's more the circumstances, and I think more than anything it stems from a desire to own my own plane someday. One of my choosing. Strata, you had a good point, chill for a couple of years and then decide.

Soooo, now where to look in Arkansas for a ride in a Maule????

I do not no what you can get for your half of the 206. A 2005 model should bring a lot of cash. With that you can probably buy a 185.

Tim

cubchick wrote:...I hope I didn't sound like I was displeased with the 206! Excellent plane...I love flying it and G1000 is amazing (MUST keep my head out of the cockpit)!...

I figured you didn't have any major problems with the 206, it's a heck of an airplane. It's amazing what can be crammed into that plane through the cargo door.
Too bad you have to share it with such a blatant airplane hog...

qmdv wrote:... A 2005 model should bring a lot of cash. With that you can probably buy a 185.

Absolutely, a 180 or 185 would definitely be in the realm of possibility with half the proceeds of this 206. There'd be money (a lot!) left over after the purchase of a nice C180.

CC - Strata is right, the C-180/185 is the ticket and the relationship with your bro' should improve as an added bonus

The 185 will accomodate your growing family better...The 180 is easier on fuel and can use car gas. Both are excellent aircraft.

Brad

Of course to keep up with the Jones' you need a cambered leading edge, Robertson STOL, VG's, tundra tires, jump seats, V-brace, floats, SKIS!! blah blah blah...

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cubchick wrote:...I think it's the whole nostalgia thing of, "My dad used to own a Maule and is not fond of the 206 so..." and the "Wow, to own my OWN plane!" thing...

Ohhhh!, now I get it! You buy a Maule for yourself and hubby and let your dad fly it when he wants, and you get to fly your dad's Supercub occasionally too.

What a great arrangement...I'm jealous already!

Ya know, you're really not that far from Moultrie, GA. I'm sure Ray or David Maule or David Wright would jump at the chance to give a pretty lady a test flight in a Maule.

This is slightly off topic... You mentioned that your husband can't get insured as p.i.c. until he obtains an instrument rating? Did they assume that because you have a glass panel you're going to do a lot of hard IMC? Or is this simply another one of the games they play? I have some strong thoughts on instrument ratings in general, and how they affect your premiums in particular. But I'm gonna keep it polite. It seems as though the policy makers for these outfits have very little grasp of the realities of the GA world.

It has to do with the amount of coverage my dad has on the plane. My brother had some 206 time, so did not immediately have to have an instrument license to solo the plane. Not so for my husband and I. I saw it (when I had a good attitude ) as a boon b/c it got me motivated to get my Instrument.

Jr. CubBuilder~ The feature on the radio that isolates the passengers from the front is better than a wooden spoon any day!!!

Now, ya know, jrcubbuilder may have just hit on something with that Beaver thing, girl.....

Seven seat interior, if it's been upgraded and most have now. Tailwheel. It will carry you, your hubby, your kids, AND all the toys, no sweat.

Major panache

And a Beaver is a pretty gentle wheel plane, really.

For half the price of an H model 206, I'd say you could come pretty close to a decent Beaver on wheels.

Call me when you want to pick it up, and I'll give you and your husband an insurance checkout .

The Maule will be really cramped for a family. The 185 is a great airplane, but whomever sits in the rear "child's" seat (and I believe they are placarded by age) is going to have to have REALLY short legs. There will be NO space for baggage.

Go for the Beaver.

MTV

I have a Maule M-6/235 because I wanted a tail wheel airplane and had to have 4 seats for family. It works great for 4 people, although sometimes I will borrow my brothers C-210 for the greater range, speed and capacity. I think a Maule, as great as they are would be un-workable with 5 people. It would however give you a new appreciation of just how much room you have in the 206. A Maule really dosen't have much more room than say a Mooney.
Now if there was any way I could have Beaver. I just can't think of any cooler airplane there would be to own than an amphib Beaver, cept maybe a PBY or a Goose. Oh well there's a reason I fly a Maule, it's because I couldn't afford much else.

Out of the cyber-closet I come. I love this site. I've been lurking for a while, thinking that I won't participate regularly enough to justify dipping my paddle into these waters, but what the heck.

About that G1000 206 question, I'd stick with it if you can at all. I had a '62 Skylane for years and really liked it a lot. When my son was born, I could see the writing on that wall that, with 3 out of 4 seats always occupied, flying would mean leaving grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends behind. It also meant that I'd have to stage-in gear and passengers for camping trips in the backcountry. That would ultimately dim my family's enthusiasm for flying, and my odds of returning to my favorite spots with my them would grow ever slimmer.


If you can't get around the extraordinary insurance requirements (I don't know of any carrier that requires an instrument rating to write typical coverage limits on a 206), then I'd see what I could do to help your husband get his rating. Or, you could sell your half interest and buy an older 206 of your very own. Put a 430 in it, and you can go everywhere that the G1000 will go, just with a smaller in-flight movie. And the view out the window is just as good!

Best of luck with your dilemma,

Terry

Hi JMTGT,

I'm in San Carlos--aka San Squirrelous (KSQL), after the crosswind. I'll have to add that to my profile.

If your not adverse to experimental, there's always a Murpy Moose. Poor man's (woman's) Beaver. But, I agree with the others, if you can afford to feed and maintain it, a Beaver is a mighty fine ride!

Hi, as the owner of a 185 I would have to say that I am bias toward 180/185. In your orginal post you said you were unhappy with the visibility of the 206, if you were reffering to over the nose, that may be a problem in the 180/185. I am 5'10", fly with the seat cranked up and almost full forward, and still have to stretch and at time S turn to see around the nose. As for the 5/6 seat it depends on which seat you have, the childs seat is good for 120 pounds, the other 5/6 seat is good for 340 pounds. Leg room is dependent on the 3 and 4 th seat you have, the cessna individual bush seats are mounted fairly far forward. If you haven't had a chance you may want to get some seat time in a 1964 or newer 180 or 185 to check out the view. I learned in a 1955 170B, visibility is excellent, by comparison 180/185 is fair.
In closing as a friend of mine with a 180 on floats and skis says "you never hear a 180 pilot say it flies just like a maule" Tim

Cubchick

Think about dumping the 206 for a T-210 or P-210. You can go a-b much faster, carry the same load and take the family to most of all the back country strips that the 206 will go. To quench your off road feaver you already have the best plane in the PA-18. The only thing left is to put the 18 on some wip's for serious back country adventures.

N18NV wrote:
Think about dumping the 206 for a T-210 or P-210.

Actually, we originally wanted a C-208 but quickly realized that you basically had to be a professional pilot to fly one.

My uncle bought a brand new 210 in 1974 and after having to manually lower the gear for the third time he sold it after 6 months. Think we will stick with the 206 and dream about the 208.


Cubdude

Cubdude wrote:Actually, we originally wanted a C-208 but quickly realized that you basically had to be a professional pilot to fly one.

What does a 208 weigh? Don't you need a type-rating to fly one? Maybe it just barely squeaks in... 700 horsepower turboprop, 10 seats... now you're talking an insurance premium.