What makes the Maule start to ground loop is that the rudder loses its authority because it's being blanketed by the fuselage, in that tail low position when landing. On top of that, the brakes have little control because the wings are still producing some lift! The answer, when you start to feel a loss of control, is a little burst of power that gives a blast of air over the rudder so that you can straighten the plane out. I learned this from a Maule rep and used it many times to avoid disaster.
that thick fuselage also means the max xwind component is about 14-15mph. ended up in the weeds on M5 at that with rudder and aileron at the stops. getting to parking involved some 270deg turns.
I put 2200 hours on an M-6-235 for the Department of Interior and enjoyed it very much. With Cessna discontinuing production of their venerable 180's and 185's, there weren't many four place tail-wheel airplanes in production at the time. I had the good fortune to fly with Ray Maule at the factory when I took delivery of our airplane. Brought back some great memories. Thanks very much for posting. Much appreciated.
I do the same little dance on final with my Maule M7 to "wake up the feet" and make sure my feet are in the right place with access to rudder and brakes. Good habit to have!
Thanks for sharing. Glad to see you're willing to stay humble and help the community learn from this event. Keep practicing and time building with the instructor - sounds like a great plan for all of us who can't fly as much as we want!!
$2000 per year is a steal for a new pilot in a maule. My first quote was $7500. After a few other companies turned me down I ended up with avemco at $3600 per year
1971 BTDT and have the T shirt. If you take your eyes off the side of the aircraft’s nose or forget to stay with your feet, you get a BIG SURPRISE! Taildraggers have to be flown from the minute you add power until you put the chocks under the wheels. I had 27 hours in my Aeronca Chief before I finally could fly it extremely well. Approach speed and flare speed are also critical. Taildraggers wait for you to fall asleep! But boy, are they fun to fly and can take you to the small grass strips and so much flying fun.
Thanks for posting. I am currently learning to wheel land. I've had two instances, out of 14, just like yours!!! I don't know what causes the plane to suddenly shift right during a mostly straight path. The tail wheel hasn't touched down yet.
Could be touching down 'crooked' to the direction of landing. Seems to be the most common thing. Not to mention annoying shifting winds. Darn things. Have you watched: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vXustupZ4TE.html with Barry Schiff but the best of all: Larry Bartlett in the classic ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-B78vtDKATTg.html "Taming the Taildragger" Watch every bit of it. You'll be a better pilot. Still helps me. And Jim Alslip's short vids on youtube, Dylan Aviation. He retired this year and sold his training Super D. Don't stall and control the yaw. Too much rudder inside turn makes an airplane skid and can lead to an upset. Use top rudder, -sky rudder - to keep it from stalling. Don't pull back on the base to final turn. Don't cross control. Ailerons are ineffective at slow speed. Use your rudder, control the yaw, don't stall.
This Is Precisely Why All Students Should Start Out In Tail-wheel Airplane,,, Build The "House" On The "Foundation",,, Don't Try To Add The "Foundation" After The House Is Built... As,,, Important As Ground Control,,, Learning In a Tail-Wheel" Airplane,,, It Also Involves,,, "Wing Control",,,, The Use of The Rudder to Control "Wing Leveling" at Slow Speeds,,, Instead of Trying To Drive The Airplane With The "Ailerons"....
Hey it happens. Glad you're ok. Also a big tip. The worst airplane to learn to fly in is a Maule. I fly a M4 Rocket often. The Rocket is extremely squirmy. This is the worst airplane to learn to fly tailwheel in. This is coming from someone who learned tailwheel in a Maule. Still learning but a horrible idea to practice on cement. You never EVER lose focus on a Maule because IT WILL KILL YOU IN SECONDS. There is a reason why the insurance is so high and biplanes are a lot squirmier than a Maule. Slowly build up to a Maule unless you have a very good pilot with you who knows the Maule. Like for example my father. Every Maule owner will wreck the airplane. It's a given.
@@plantpower3048 The PA 18 Super Cub. Generic, sure, but they fly great. First aircraft I landed on skis too. A Wilga is great if you are doing mission flights too. Or just for fun.
@@wackaircaftmechanic2312 so Maule is the only choice if you want a real bush plane with excellent STOL performance that is not a tandem. in the certified world i mean, the rest are just experimentals
It's the only tailwheel I've flown, so nothing really to compare it with. It was a lot of fun to fly and learn on. That Franklin motor has lots of power and speed and always ran great. I really liked the extra back door on the passenger side. I'm short, and with the seat all the way up I had great visibility and control access. I was able to gain proficiency in 3 point and wheel landings after a couple sessions (as long as I stayed off the brakes..;). The suspension did a good job of soaking up rough landings on dirt strips, etc. I only have ~8 hours in it and as a low hour 172/182 pilot I would need many more hours to be as comfortable in it as a tricycle Cessna but it definitely made be a better pilot! Seems like a great tailwheel, if that's what you're looking for.
@@idahowhit86 hi, I’m looking to give Tailwheel endorsements and grass strip instruction and seems like a nice plane. It is older and never been recovered or had the engine overhauled. How is the appearance on the paint and interior? Keep up the great flying and posts!
at least you didnt do it on a remote strip someplace and roll it into a ball . i have seen that one time to many in remote strips in northern bc. practice practice
@@idahowhit86 : Well took a lot of guts for you to post this. Glad you did, But check out a video of myself piloting a taildragger. A different kind of taildragger. The footage of my pilotage starts at: 6:21 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vXustupZ4TE.html
been there done that! in a Luscombe many years ago... here's some of my transition training for my RV6 I did last summer: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gZB0Eg90Nvk.html
