I am a Cub guy and have owned a 1940 Piper J5A for many years. I was looking to upgrade to something a little newer and with better performance. I was looking at 180 hp Cessna 170s, Stinson 108s, PA-12s and PA-18s. It seemed that they are all older aircraft and I have a lot of experience with old airplanes. I wanted something newer and was looking at some of the newer wide body Super Cubs, Legend Cubs, and Cub Crafters Cubs.
The performance and newness I was looking for was beyond what I could afford. I wanted simple, reliable, easy to maintain, and good performance. I then stumbled upon Maule aircraft. They have all the performance of the Super Cub, can carry a lot more and go further and faster for less money. It sounded too good to be true. I figured there was a catch. I started asking friends and looking online about Maules. I found that a few people who have never flown or owned a Maule said bad things about them, but those that had owned and flown them all seem to love them.
Brent Maule invited me to take a tour of the factory in Georgia. I did that and was treated very well. They even had my name on a welcome sign when I walked in.
I told them that I was looking at a used M4-180V and not a new airplane, but they treated me like I was buying a new Gulfstream. Brent Maule spent all day with me and introduced me to the very nice folks that work there, most of which seem to be part of the family. I was very impressed with their kindness and attention to detail. They all seemed to be very proud of what they were building. I met some very helpful folks at Maule Flight as well. They really are family businesses.
I ended up buying a 2007 M4-180V before I had ever flown a Maule. I got checked out in it and was impressed by how well it flew. It does handle differently from most other airplanes that I have flown but it flys very well. It is easy to fly and doesn’t seem to have any bad habits. I had a lot of questions along the way and was always able to pick up the phone and talk to folks at Maule Air and Maule Flight who were very helpful. I began the flight home and got slowed down by weather and then a minor mechanical issue. I called Maule and they had a replacement part on its way out the next morning. So far it has been a really fun airplane to fly with excellent customer service. The community of Maule owners has reached out to me and made me feel very welcome.
They have offered assistance and really made me feel like I was joining a family. The Maulepilots.org website and “Those Who Fly Maule Aircraft” Facebook page have been very helpful. I look forward to many years of adventures. I hope to do some more backcountry flying and go places I didn’t feel comfortable in with my J5A. I also plan to fly it for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary flying up and down the west coast and the Sacramento river delta. So far it has all been a very pleasant experience. Good customer service is rare these days. Maule still has “old school” real customer service with real people that are very helpful. Glen Marshall New Maule Owner