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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 1303.PDF
730 FLIGHT International, 30 April l<)(4 IN THE AIR By Neil Harrison: Number 183 of the series MAULE M-4 (One Continental O-300 145 h.p.) Span, 29ft 8in; length, 22ft; wing area, I53sqft; empty weight of basic aircraft, 1,1001b; gross weight, 2,1001b; fuel capacity, 35 Imp gal; wing loading, I3.75lb/sq ft; power loading, 14.48 Ib/h.p. Performance Max speed at sea level, 142 m.p.h.; cruising at 75 percent power at 2,000ft, 125 m.p.h. 7.4 Imp gal/hr, 590 miles; 55 per cent power at 1,000ft, 119 m.p.h. 6.1 Imp gal/hr, 684 miles; sea level rate of climb, 700ft/min; service ceiling, 12,000ft; take-off run, 900ft. MAU -4 "Flight International" photograph THE latest type of American light aircraft to be importedinto this country is the four-seat single-engined MauleM-4. Virtually unknown beyond its home state of Michigan, where most of the 100 or so built have been sold, it is a successful combination of well understood layout and conventional construc- tion—the traditional approach to building for minimum first price and assured low-cost operation without a lot of development. Power for the M-4's good value-for-money performance comes from a Continental O-300 flat six delivering 145 h.p. through a fixed-pitch metal propeller. Though not the cheapest engine for the power, it is probably the smoothest and most economical. After the addition of import duty and delivery charges, at £4,385 total for the basic aircraft the M-4 is the cheapest unrestricted four-seater available in the United Kingdom, and that at least should interest a great many people. The main United Kingdom and European Maule dealers are RWS and Co (Aircraft) Ltd, based at Stapleford Tawney Aerodrome, Abridge, Essex, and they plan to build M-4s under licence in this country if the initial sales reaction shows that a cut in price would open up a sufficiently worthwhile extra market. The first imported demonstrator—subject of this report—has an empty weight of 1,1691b, compared with 1,1001b for the basic M-4. The extra weight is accounted for by over £500-worth of equipment, including a full blind-flying panel (except for the electrically driven artificial horizon the gyro instruments are connected to a belt- driven suction pump); a King KX150A 1£ VHF com/nav unit; wheel fairings; twin anti-collision beacons; and navigation, landing and instrument lights. Well-equipped thus for VFR flying, the M-4 costs £4,900 ready to go in the UK. Dual controls are included in the basic aircraft price. Most M-4s, like the test aircraft, are produced in the de luxe equipped version costing £4,793. The whole success of an A to B aeroplane—other things being equal—is its ratio of useful load to power, always assuming that the latter bears some relation to total price. In this respect the M-4 is very good. Even when fitted with the 691b of optional equipment listed, with full tanks the aircraft can just carry four 1701b occupants within its 2,1001b gross weight. At something like 70 per cent power the cruising speed of 125 m.p.h. gives the aircraft an absolute range of well over 500 miles. Take-off ran at gross weight is about 300yd. While a few big manufacturers of popular light aircraft have invested heavily in tooling and research into advanced light alloy and plastic structures and so on, Maule have come up with a very competitive specification by careful detail design and optimum layout based on simple, well-known techniques. The steel-tube fuselage is fabric covered except for the light-alloy doors and the panels around the cabin; the entirely light-alloy sheet wing with twin-strut bracing shows the only unusual combination of features —chosen, no doubt, to cut down on the number of parts as com- pared with the more usual multi-rib and fabric kind of strut- braced wing. The M-4 is well endowed with doors—there is one on each side for access to the front bench seat and a third, on the starboard side, for access to the rear bench seat; getting In is reasonably easy, though it may have its dodgy moments for ladies wearing tight skirts. The internal trimming and upholstery of the demonstrator —carpets, moulded wall panels, and washable headlining—looked generally neat, but things like door handles, storm-window catches, and the front seat adjustment were found to be fiddly and felt fragile. Beneath a useful coat shelf and behind the back seat there is a separate luggage locker stressed to take 1001b and reached through a hatch on the starboard side. Starting the O-300 from very cold needed a good priming and was then no trouble. Taxying was quite straightforward; steering was light and precise, and on a combination of differential braking and tailwheel steering the M-4 could be pivoted on a mainwheel. Many people will question the choice of a tailwheel layout, but it ground handling and forward visibility can be made acceptable-- as they are on the M-4—it can have advantages over tricycle layouts, notably in being lighter and cheaper and giving better stability on rough ground and less aerodynamic drag. The M-4s main undercarriage has oil/spring shock-absorbers that give a reasonably, soft, quiet ride. Pre-take-off checks are few and simple: the elevator trim tab i> adjusted by a difficult-to-reach lever, which cannot be accurately pre-set, centrally located on the floor; throttle friction is taken care of by a vernier/plunger type throttle control; fuel should be "ra^\ from the left wing tank for take-off (the selector is on the wall »>'
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