Maule M4 220 Best landing procedures

[firstmaule4]

Trying to get the best information on in landing my M4. Currently flying off the insurance requirement with tail wheel instructor and having read every post on all maule aircraft landing on this forum over the past year hoping to get a m4 specific post going.

A little about me I got my ppl in a Cessna 150 and 172 back in 2000 and shortly after I started my business and told flying would be a deal breaker with my lenders and I hung up my flying dreams. It has been a long wait getting to the point of not needing the bankers approval on my hobbies so November 2011 I saw a M4 needing a little attention for sale and I had to have it. I have sense wandered how does a little attention turn into so much over the past year from low oil pressure, fuel leaks, alternator issues, and rigging issues to the day it was finally ready to fly.

With all said my 83 hours in tricycle gear aircraft have taught me how to keep this in the air but I would like to have some feed back on flaps on take off and landings, no flap landings, power input while landing, and any thing else relevant I want to gain as much knowledge with out costly first hand experience with this plane.

I also Would like to thank all the people who take the time to post here for the rest of us to learn from

[Mr. Ed]

First, don't just fly off the insurance requirements. Hours don't equate to proficiency. Make sure you have a well qualified and proficient instructor. Try to find one with lots of Maule time. With your total time, and that being accumulated 12 years ago, you should put in the time to get well over 100 landings before you let your instructor cut you loose. There is no "best way/configuration" for landing. The situation/conditions/proficiency level will dictate the configuration and type of landing you make (wheel or three point).

Have a ball, be careful, great airplane.

[montana maule]

I made a few videos that might help.
http://montanabyair.com/technigue-page.html

Rick

[firstmaule4]

When landing I am keeping a little extra energy, what sink rate do you try to maintain to have a smooth landing trying to work out an extra bounce. Playing with the amount of power to slow the transition down just have not experienced the perfect landing however have watched some on YouTube.

Just getting started I understand not keeping an eye on instruments and out the window because, I have only seen the stall warning light at a high alt. stall when getting the feel of the aircraft before a stall and when watching your video I saw if again in a 3 point landing but can't say I have seen the stall warning light in my landing yet. Too much going on outside to bring my eye back inside at that time or untill plane has stopped.

I appreciate the help and I am determined to improve my landing skills
Thanks

[iceman]

be real aware of the wind and direction... I ground looped at Columbia after landing with a head wind and getting a quartering tail wind on rollout 6 years ago... I land with a little power on all the way to touch down and then don't go to Idle till I'm sure I have control with rudder on roll out.. sounds like a long time but usually my first tap on the rudder is the left one since my M4 looped to the right... don't know why but it seems to work... also Gotta get it slow on final... red stall light comes on most of the time when landing and the slower you are just before touchdown the easier it is to control... others might disagree but seems to work for me...

[YELLOWMAULE]

Well, not the best video (If I can get it to load...) but here's a landing a neighbor captured. Not the shortest or the most dramatic but I could use the plane again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOCkHeyX ... e=youtu.be
My first attempt at video so hold off throwing rocks.
Whoo hoo! It worked! ROCK STAR!!!

[YELLOWMAULE]

ok FM4,
I have very little time behind the Franklin (Damn tractor of an engine BTW!) but in the IO-360, you always carry a little MP on final because it takes a second to spin up. Fells like a week really. I approach at 55 or so under ideal conditions. I like to touch down at 45-50 (All mph) and usually touch tail low and roll up onto the mains. Maules have a heavy tail and are pretty forgiving to heavy braking. That being said, many instructors/CFI's will have a hell of a time trying to wheel them in. It takes a bit of practiced but it works really well once you have them dialed in. The Peril has a couple of mods, VG's and gap seals. If you have to choose, take the gap seals. Trust me on this one. "They" say that the M-4 doesn't need them. BS, the Franklin and the Conti may be lighter in the nose but the results are stunning. The 4 in my opinion has greater rudder authority in a cross wind due to not the square footage of the rudder but the depth of it. My best short field, calm wind is 150-200' and very consistent in the 250' range. I never seem to be able to fly the plane light but find that at least 20-30# in the far aft portion of the cockpit balances the plane very well. Small tires aid in braking but in AOA so it's a trade off. Everything in life is it seems. There are no secret mods that will make you a gravel bar hero, just time. Lots and lots of time. I kind of traveled the same road as you when getting my ticket. I had a family to raise and a business to run and learned in the same AC you did. Wish I had learned in a TW but oh well. Burn the gas, it's the best "mod" you'll ever get. I have almost 1800 hours in the Peril over two engines and am still learning and love it.
Have a great time!

[Redhawk]

Trying to get used to my new ('71) M4. I sold my M6 and had a much easier time getting smooth and shorter landings, buts it's a different wing/flaps than the 4. The 4 wants to land on the tailwheel first (I have 8.50 tires) and then the mains "plop" down which is a bit annoying, so I am wondering is it just my technique? I know the extended gear mod would help this (but not the pocketbook!)
My squirrlyiest landings are always a result of too much speed. I normally hold 60 mph early final bleeding off to 50- 55, to stall light on at touchdown. The other pilots comment about leaving a bit of power on during the roll for positive rudder authority is a good one.

[iceman]

I"m no expert either having looped at Columbia a few years back and I can tell you it is easy to do if you aren't Litterally on your toes... too much speed at touch down is a sure way to enter that trip off the runway... I approach at 55 or so also... I keep a bit of power on all through the final approach and don't go to idle till the mains are on... then I make sure I have rudder control and go to idle and brake... I have 29's on and i can litterally stand on the brakes to slow without raising the tail but I also keep about 30 lbs in the back..mostly the light shows up just before touchdown which also causes me to add just a touch of power so as not to slam on if I'm a bit above 2 feet off the dirt... I say dirt cause that's the preferred surface for us....LOL.....OH I guess I went through all this above... Duh....

[firstmaule4]

I have been playing with about 55 on final with power about 1400 rpm and descent about 250fpm and my landing are a lot smother than before when I was letting it sink at about 500 fpm and with less power. When stoping I slow it down way faster than I should with out the tail coming up but as if all landing are short field due to me being less secure after reading about others bad experiences. I am sure I have less time than many others on this forum but after over a hundred landing I want to be more comfortable in my M4 as other Maule pilots I have flown with who can step in my plane and comfortably fly cross wind maneuvers and not be as conservative as my ground handling. However I will have a freshly rebuilt motor new prop upgrade back in mine in hopefully a couple weeks and be building my hours and landings until I can land it and fill as comfortable as the Maule pilots I have flown with
Hope this helps a little

[iceman]

wow..... don't feel as if you are slowing it down way faster than you should... getting slow and under control is what you are after... so if you get down to slow taxi speed in a short distance by standing on the brakes you've accomplished what you are striving for, a safe landing...now try and do it every time but good luck with that... no one here does it right every time....nothing wrong with being conservative... the opposite is liberal..conservative is always better than liberal... especially in flying....

[Akafrank]

Ok, is it me or is landing a Maule on a paved surface extremely tricky. Once on the ground, I find no matter how gentle I am on the rudder I manage to squeal the tires keeping it straight. Feet flat, no brakes, some brakes, can't seem to find a sweet spot. Grass is where I prefer but some airports don't allow it.

Free advice welcome.

Akafrank

[Chillysurfer]

Funny you mention the grass vs pavement. I spent all winter riding my stall horn on a nose high decent on grass. Flew to the NE and the first landing on payment, I scraped my tail! Now I have to tell myself to land on payment about 5 kts faster with a shallower decent

[sbmaule]

This topic has come up occasionally. Really no shortcuts or magic pill.
Patrick Romano has provided some great videos (learn to land short) that provide visual as well as theory behind a good stabilized approach and landing, check them out. Fly with a good instructor that will demonstrate and familiarize you with a good stabilized approach technique, though, no amount of instruction will replace practice, practice, practice

Repetition builds "muscle memory", basically, committing a lot of the process to your sub conscious, freeing your conscious mind to focus on improving skills and allow you to better compensate for varying conditions like wind, terrain etc..

A few tidbits I've picked up along the way:
55kts is about the threshold at wich (for me) you can arrest decent without power.
If you want to explore speeds below that, I'd suggest spending some time up high fooling around with the stall horn on, power off yoke back stalls, really get acquainted with with the rudder, that's what will keep you level when your ailerons loose effectiveness at slow speeds.
Gradually start slowing down your approach speeds and get used to arresting with power.
Learn to fly attitude of the plane and forget about ASI, it's not very accurate at slow speeds anyway.
Always, always use full flaps.
Keep some (consistant amount) power in at landing.
Trim for one notch of flap on downwind then leave it alone.
Practice learning to controll decent rate with attitude instead of power.

Practice for full stall landings touching on the mains first, Execute a flare with the yoke all the way back then release a bit of pressure just before touchdown, thru time and repitition you'll learn that sweet spot.

Keeping a consistent "feel" of the controls - consistent flap setting (full), consistent yoke pressure (trim) consistent power setting etc.. Will help you to better feel exactly what the plane is doing, and make for more consistent repetition on landings.
After that's mastered, you can start fooling with flaps, slips, wind, power etc..

Quick note; Poor habits can also be committed to your sub conscious, break the learning cycle following a bad landing, do a full stop, identify what went wrong, visualize a good landing then move on.

stuff I mentioned has worked for me. Love to hear imput from others.

Cheers

[Kirk]

Things I've found that can make things more squirrelly on pavement than grass,
1) Pilot proficiency (don't ask how I know)
2) Main wheel toe-in which is addressed in another thread, can't remember which one
3) Rudder cable tension excessively slack
4) Tailwheel steering poorly adjusted

Kirk