Range Map
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Payload vs. Range
Fuel on board
Cargo
nm
Range
Trip Preview
Name a destination in the map header above and this becomes your trip: time en route, what you burn, what it costs, and whether you get there without stopping — at the load you have set.
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We do not have a cruise speed on file for this aircraft, so there is no honest time or cost to give you for this leg.
En route
Fuel burned
Direct cost
Fuel cost
Tanks run dry about past before at this burn.
Mission Profile
- Tailwheel
- High-Performance
Estimated Ownership Costs
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About the Maule M-5
Type certificated 1976
Overview
The Maule M-5-235C Lunar Rocket is a four-seat STOL utility taildragger built by Maule Air of Moultrie, Georgia, and the high-power member of the M-5 family produced from 1976. A 235 hp Lycoming O-540 turning a Hartzell constant-speed propeller gives it a strong power-to-weight ratio on a light welded steel-tube-and-fabric airframe, the source of its short-field reputation. Oleo-strut tailwheel gear and a four-door cabin suit it to rough off-airport strips. The M-5 series also came in 180 hp and 210 hp versions; this record covers the 235C, its highest-horsepower variant.
Standard tanks hold about 43 gallons, good for roughly 360 nm with reserves; optional long-range tanks raise capacity toward 63 gallons and stretch that to about 480 nm. Against a metal hauler like the Cessna 180, the Maule trades cabin width and resale depth for a lighter airframe and shorter field performance. It is the aircraft for a backcountry or bush pilot who wants genuine STOL capability and field-repairable steel-and-fabric simplicity, and who will trade paved-runway refinement to get it.
Key Features for GA Buyers
- Short-field capability. Clears a 50 ft obstacle in about 600 ft, opening up mountain and backcountry strips.
- Four-door loading. Doors on both sides plus a dedicated cargo door ease loading of bulky gear such as skis or fishing equipment.
- Rugged structure. A welded steel-tube fuselage with fabric covering tolerates rough off-airport use and is field-repairable.
- Strong climb. Rated climb near 1,350 ft/min at gross weight.
Trade-offs
- Tailwheel and high-performance. Requires a tailwheel endorsement, and at 235 hp a high-performance endorsement as well.
- Cabin width. Narrower than a Cessna 182, with utilitarian fit and finish.
- Short-coupled handling. Like all short taildraggers, it needs active rudder during the takeoff and landing rolls.
- Standard fuel is modest. Standard tankage gives roughly 360 nm of range; the long-range tanks are worth seeking for serious cross-country use.
See Also
- Maule M-7 – the stretched five-seat successor in the same STOL family. Compare
- Cessna 180 Skywagon – classic metal backcountry hauler. Compare
- Piper PA-18 Super Cub – the benchmark STOL bush taildragger. Compare
- Aviat Husky – modern two-seat STOL utility taildragger. Compare
- Stinson 108 Voyager – postwar four-seat classic taildragger. Compare
Technical Specifications
Dimensions & Weights
- Height
- 6 ft
- Length
- 24 ft
- Parking area (ft²2)
- 1,163 ft²
- Max Takeoff Weight
- 2,300 lbs
- Max Landing Weight
- 2,300 lbs
- Useful Load
- 900 lbs
- Fuel Capacity
- 43 gal
Performance
- Cruise Speed
- 140 KTAS
- Never-Exceed (VNE)
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 156 KIAS
- Max Structural Cruise (VNO)
- Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 126 KIAS
- Approach Speed
- 60 KIAS
- Stall, Clean (VS1)
- 48 KIAS
- Range
- 360 NM
- Service Ceiling
- 20,000 ft
- Rate of Climb
- 1350 fpm
- Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle
- 600 ft
- Landing over 50 ft obstacle
- 600 ft
Engine
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Sources
Where the figures on this page come from. Maule M-5 specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.
Similar to the Maule M-5
Similar PistonsMaule M-4
Maule M-9
Maule M-7
Cessna 180 Skywagon
Compare the Maule M-5 to other aircraft
