Shirley is working on updating SL 61 and also all the door attach prints so they match each other with the AN3-4 or AN3-C4 bolts. I'll let y'all know when all that is finished.

Thanks Duane!

Like I said, I am new to the ownership/aircraft MX thing so to educate myself I have been reading a lot.

One of the books I've read is by Mike Busch and my take on what he is saying is that unless the FAA puts out an Airworthiness Directive that is mandatory, we the PICs do not need to comply with manufacture recommendations. Give it consideration, but it is not considered binding. I went back through the Maule Service Bulletins and Service Letters and a fair portion of them do say "recommend" and a fair portion say "mandatory" (the door bolts fall into this category).

Of course what he says makes sense and he lays out a compelling case but I know nothing so am easily convinced.

I know there are some A&P owner types on this forum so I would be interested in their point of view. Some other forums I would hesitate to post this as it would spiral into serious arguments and name calling but everyone here seems to be equal parts respectful and knowledgeable.

What Mike says is correct. Service bulletins, even “mandatory“ ones, are not binding for non-commercial operators. FAA-issued ADs are mandatory for everyone.

Better take a close look at your insurance policy drak130. Even though SBs are not mandatory are far as the FAA is concerned, your insurance company might feel differently.

andy wrote:Better take a close look at your insurance policy drak130. Even though SBs are not mandatory are far as the FAA is concerned, your insurance company might feel differently.

Hmm....I don’t think they’d have any legal basis for that, and I’ve never heard of such a thing. Not saying it couldn’t be the case; just that it would be new to me. All the policies I’ve had stipulate that coverage is dependent on the aircraft being airworthy as defined by the FAA. That does include ADs, but for private operators it does not includ manufacturer service bulletins.

I bet if I started going down the tie down rows at Merrill Field, I’d go quite some distance before I found a plane that complied with all the manufacturer service bulletins.

Many of the Maule Service Bulletins don't get done, however, in my experience some of them absolutely SHOULD be attended to.
Most are relatively cheap to fix, an inspection is just time, not doing some of them can be potential suicide

Andy, I doubt you will find one. Was recently involved in the selling of a 135 which included a King Air 200. The buyer tried to force the seller to do all the
service bulletins and service letters to make the airplane "legal" per agreement. Even cried wolf to the feds who quickly advised him that as long as they weren't ADs they were not required even for 135.

Now that said, many will make the airplanes safer while others just upgrade some equipment.

gbarrier wrote:Andy, I doubt you will find one. Was recently involved in the selling of a 135 which included a King Air 200. The buyer tried to force the seller to do all the
service bulletins and service letters to make the airplane "legal" per agreement. Even cried wolf to the feds who quickly advised him that as long as they weren't ADs they were not required even for 135.

Now that said, many will make the airplanes safer while others just upgrade some equipment.

Now THAT’S interesting. It was always my understanding that factory service bulletins WERE mandatory for 135 operations.

Jeremy, I agree with you, that certain service bulletins are critical. The one that addresses corrosion in the tail strut attach stubs comes to mind...

And the aluminum gear leg attach hardware.

Here's an interesting article about "mandatory" SBs. I took a close look at my insurance policy and it only discusses my responsibility to maintain the aircraft in "airworthy" condition as defined by the FAA. The last paragraph indicates that some insurance companies may be including SBs in their policies.

https://dommagazine.com/article/are-ser ... ory-or-not

Jeremy,

Not to put you on the spot but when you have a chance could you list your top 10 Maule Service Bulletins/Service Letters that you consider important?

Tim

First off it depends on the model and year as many don't apply to all models.
Then, it takes a while to research them all as I don't have all in my head.
Maybe check the lists on mauleairinc.com and see which fit your model, year, and Serial # and i can look at them.

maules.com wrote:First off it depends on the model and year as many don't apply to all models.
Then, it takes a while to research them all as I don't have all in my head.
Maybe check the lists on mauleairinc.com and see which fit your model, year, and Serial # and i can look at them.

What about SL70 for an MX7 180A?
Oil temp probe in the wrong place and registers too high of a temperature. How much would the measured temperature drop by moving the probe back to the correct location?

Stinger,

Yup, came across that one as well. Had just taken delivery of airplane and oil temps were just below red line. Did a bunch of trouble shooting and replaced the vernatherm before I came across that Service Letter. In the process of putting in a CGR-30 engine monitor and should be done this week. I will let you know how much the temp drops now that the probe is in the right spot.

Tim