Maule Air MX-7-160
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The MX-7-160 is the lightest-engined Maule: the short-cabin MX-7 airframe with a 160 hp Lycoming O-320 and fixed-pitch propeller, approved in November 1992 and sold as the budget model (AOPA reported a $51,995 bare-panel sale price in 1994). Maule's table gives 2,200 lb gross, 1,330 lb empty, 870 lb useful, 135 mph cruise and 825 fpm.
It is the cheapest Maule to buy and run - an O-320 and a fixed-pitch prop are about as simple as a certificated four-seater gets - and the trade is the 2,200 lb gross weight, 300 lb below the 180A on the same airframe, which makes it a two-up aeroplane in practice despite the four seats. The published take-off distances are one-person, half-fuel figures; at gross on a hot day it is not the short-field performer its stablemates are. Otherwise it shares the family's oleo gear, fabric fuselage and tailwheel insurance picture, and its parts and support come from a factory that is still in business. No MX-7-160 listing was found.
Variants of the Maule M-7, MX-7 and MXT-7
Also consider
TAILFAX SCORE
Partial: 15.8 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)
Among 3–4 seat pistons (223 models)
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What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-320-B2D |
| Horsepower | 160 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1992 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise (75 % power) | 117 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range (75 %, standard fuel, 30-min reserve) | 469 nm |
| Service ceiling | 13,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 825 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 35 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,180 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 500 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 870 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,200 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,330 lb |
| Usable fuel | 40 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 8 gal/h |
Estimated cost to own
An estimate, not a quote. Change the inputs to match how you would fly it. Defaults are for a single-engine piston, 3–4 seats.
| Fuel (burn × price) | hourly | $59/h | $5,928/yr |
| Maintenance reserve | hourly | $2,000/yr | |
| Insurance | fixed | $2,000/yr | |
| Annual inspection | fixed | $1,800/yr | |
| Hangar | fixed | $6,000/yr | |
| Rental rate, wet | for comparison |
No TBO or overhaul cost is on record for this model, so the engine reserve is not included.
How these estimates are built. Fuel = this model's typical burn x the national average price from AirNav's Fuel Price Report (100LL $7.41, Jet A $7.66 per gallon, 5 Oct 2026; your airport may differ by $2 or more). Engine reserve = typical overhaul cost / TBO for this engine. The remaining lines are class-level defaults, not quotes for this aircraft: annual inspection is the base inspection fee (findings are counted in the per-hour maintenance line); insurance assumes an instrument-rated owner with time in type and a $1M liability limit - less experienced pilots commonly pay 1.5-2x; hangar and tie-down are national mid-tier figures, with rural and metro options; the rental rate is a 2026 flight-school rate for a comparable aircraft, including fuel. Twin and turboprop maintenance defaults are estimates, not published figures. Sources: AirNav, BWI Aviation Insurance (2019-2026), Flying (May 2026), Savvy Aviation, American Flight Schools, published airport rate sheets. Every default is editable - change any number to match your situation. Depreciation, taxes, financing and major upgrades are not included. Depreciation is not included. An estimate, not a quote.
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | — |
|---|---|
| Price, high | — |
| Prices as of | — |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 42 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 31 |
| Median year built | 1994 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 4 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 129.03 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 129.03 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 9 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 29.03 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 31 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 31 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 31 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 5.3 of 103 |
| Support | 1.4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 9.1 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | Partial: 15.8 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)6 |
- Accident record: class median 33.21 · 223 models in class.
- Severity: class median 12.5.
- Access: class median 796.
- Support: class median 131.
- Liquidity: class median 19.89.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories. When accident record and severity cannot be scored because the model has too few records, the other three give a partial score out of 30, labelled as such; it is never set against a full score.
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · ADs Oct 8 · scores Sep 30