I have downloaded a freeware Maule and found it to have six seats. What is the point with this? If there are people (at least grown up)in all seats you can't have any fuel without going overweight.Maybe I should point out that I have real world in mind now

whered u get the maule from, it's like my favorite plane in real life...

I believe it can be found at fsnordic.net, maybe even here at AVSim. Freeware but just as good as any payware of that time.

Like many aircraft - most GA - the Maule is not capable of flying with full seats and full fuel. The seats at the rear are kiddie seats, with insufficient headroom for most normal sized adults and like all the rear seats are easily removeable.The bigger engined Maules with higher take-off weights can carry six over reasonable distances.Allcott

confirmed--had to take off in a 172 with three quarters tanks this morning coz of a single reasonably compact young lady in the back seat... kiddie seats? call them chihuahua seats:-)

Many commercial GA aircraft use the same certified fuselage for many different versions of the aircraft.The Beechcraft Bonanza F35 and BE-58 Baron have the same fuselage. The same thing exists with some Piper single and twin engine models.It saves the manufacturer a LOT of money in the certification process.You will also find the same wing on different models, other many other commonalities.I haven't checked in detail - but I'd suspect the Maule's have basically one fuselage for all their models. Basic enough so that they had to go through the certification procedure only once.Even stretching a certified fuselage is much cheaper than building a new one from scratch.

One of the very few GA singles that will do this is the Cessna 206. With an empty weight of 1900 lbs. and a gross of 3600 lbs. I have capacity for full fuel (84 gallons w/extended tanks) at 504 lbs. and six 200 lb. adults. Leon

>Like many aircraft - most GA - the Maule is not capable of>flying with full seats and full fuel. The seats at the rear>are kiddie seats, with insufficient headroom for most normalBut even with only four seats populated with 200 lbs person I onlyhad fuel for a very short trip. Put even children in the remaining seats and I hardly can take any fuel at all.

Don't carry fat people.;)Allcott

Actually the Maule has 5 seats (there is only one seatbelt in the back) and believe it or not you could probably take off with them all filled *and* full fuel. Before I sold mine I took a trip to the from Harvey (S43) to Orcas Island in the San Juans with 5 adult males aboard. As I recall I had about 2/3 fuel (~45 gal). I also recall only moderate climb rates (about 700 fpm) but the aircraft (a 235hp model) handled it with no problem. I have no doubt a IO-540 260hp powered version would have no trouble with full fuel. (It also works well for pets--see pic.)The only problem we ran into was that after all 5 of us had boarded the steel tube frame compressed enough that we couldn't secure one of the right side doors. I had to get out and walk around to close it from the outside. I think my weight was just enough to allow us to close it. Once closed it was quite secure.