Maule M-5 Lunar Rocket, M-7

1968

Back to the Virtual Aircraft Museum
  LIGHT AIRCRAFTVirtual Aircraft Museum / USA / Maule  

Maule M-5 Lunar Rocket, M-7

In 1968 the company moved to better facilities in Moultrie, Georgia, and began development of an improved M-5 based on the M-4 Strata Rocket. It differed in having a 30% increase in flap area and enlarged tail surfaces to give improved. STOL performance. Two prototypes, flown in 1971, kicked off the Lunar Rocket Line. These were the M-5-210C (marketed as the Strata Rocket) and the Franklin-powered M-5-220C with engines of 210 and 220hp respectively and both entered production early in 1974. Later versions comprised the four-door unnamed M-5-180C powered by a 180hp O-360-C1F, the turbocharged M-5-210TC and the M-5-235C with an Avco Lycoming O-540-J1A5D. This was developed into the M-6-235 Super Rocket with wing span increased 0.71m, larger flaps, higher gross weight and carrying more fuel. The Maule Patroller was a derivative of the latter. Maule Aircraft went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1984 and a new company, Maule Air Inc.; was formed to continue production of a new variant, the M-7. The M-7-235 Super Rocket has a bigger cabin with extra windows, plus other refinements, and a tricycle undercarriage version (the MX-7-180 Star Rocket) and a turboprop version (the MX-7-250 Starcraft with an Allison 250 powerplant) are currently under development. The MX-7-180 four-seat Star Rocket is a M-7 with short wings as fitted to the M-5, and the MX-7-235 Star Rocket has a 235hp fuel injection engine. By 1991 production of the Maule family of designs had reached around 1,700 aircraft, including the best selling M-5-235C with sales of 380.

Specification 
 ENGINE1 x 235hp Avco Lycoming O-540-0 J1A5D flat-six piston engine
 WEIGHTS
  Take-off weight1043 kg2299 lb
 DIMENSIONS
  Wingspan9.40 m31 ft 10 in
  Length7.16 m24 ft 6 in
  Height1.89 m6 ft 2 in
 PERFORMANCE
  Max. speed277 km/h172 mph
  Ceiling6096 m20000 ft
  Range885 km550 miles

Comments
Eduardo Grageda, e-mail, 02.01.2013 16:53

Looking for some one that can give me more info about the Maule M5 210C , I have just bougth one in mexico and would like to know more abaout it, it has a Continentel fuel inyected engine on it IO 360 D33A Thank You

reply

mstfkync, e-mail, 27.02.2012 23:56

the maximum number of aircraft propeller rpm? May I ask, please?

reply

Scott Boyd, e-mail, 06.03.2011 06:33

I flew a couple of Maule's back in the 70's. One with a Continental 210 h.p. engine the other with a 235h.p. Lycoming.

I don't remember any problems with landings, it was pretty docile. I soloed in a 7BCM Aeronca in 1967 in the Denver area, 185's hauling river runners in Utah in the early 70's.

I taught a rich guy how to fly his Maule and another rich guy bought one and hired people to fly it for him. He also bought an Aircoupe, his wife did pretty good, but he gave up pretty quickly.

reply

B Poncel, e-mail, 05.03.2011 22:18

Great airplane if you don't mind trying to land a ball-bearing.

reply

Rodrigo de Almeida Prado, e-mail, 20.03.2010 05:33

Eu tenho um MX7-180 e sou muito feliz com ele. Só acho que ele tem uma área de cauda muito grande, o que faz os pilotos sofrerem quando o vento de través está mais forte. Más isso não apaga o seu brilho, é uma ótima aeronave.

reply

Doug Rodrigues, e-mail, 13.03.2010 11:24

I've towed sailplanes with the M-5. The one most memoriable thing about it was the high noise level. Headsets were mandatory.

reply

Do you have any comments?

Name    E-mail


All the World's Rotorcraft

All rhe World's Rotorcraft AVIATION TOP 100 - www.avitop.com Avitop.com