Maule Air MX-7-235
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The MX-7-235 is the short-cabin Maule with the 235 hp Lycoming O-540: the M-6-235 with the MX-7's wing, flaps, ailerons and wing tips, approved in October 1984. Four seats (five optional), 2,500 lb gross on wheels and 40 gallons usable standard.
It is the strongest-climbing of the short-cabin Maules and the one the type's reputation for getting off a gravel bar in a few hundred feet rests on, with the trade that the cabin behind the front seats is the smaller MX-7 one and the fifth seat is a brochure number. The O-540 is an easy engine to support; the Maule-specific items are the oleo gear, the fabric fuselage and a flap system with a negative setting that new owners have to learn. Several engine dash numbers are approved, so check which one the aircraft carries and its propeller against the TCDS. No performance figures from a source with reliable units were found for this exact model and the cells are left blank.
Variants of the Maule M-7, MX-7 and MXT-7
Also consider
TAILFAX SCORE
Among 5–6 seat pistons (78 models)
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What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-540-J1A5D (or O-540-J3A5, IO-540-W1A5D, IO-540-W1A5, O-540-B4B5) |
| Horsepower | 235 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1984 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel;high-performance |
Performance
| Cruise (75 % power) | — |
|---|---|
| Range (75 %, standard fuel, 30-min reserve) | — |
| Service ceiling | — |
| Climb rate | — |
| Stall speed (Vso) | — |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | — |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,500 lb |
| Empty weight | — |
| Usable fuel | 40 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
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.
| 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 fuel burn is on record for this model, so fuel is not included.
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 | 84 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 46 |
| Median year built | 1987 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 5 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 108.7 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 86.96 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 12 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 26.09 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 3 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 46 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 46 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 46 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 0.1 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)1 |
| Severity | 6.3 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)2 |
| Access | 7.1 of 103 |
| Support | 3.6 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 8.1 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 25.2 out of 506 |
- Accident record: class median 39.55 · 78 models in class.
- Severity: class median 16.67.
- Access: class median 1,692.
- Support: class median 77.5.
- Liquidity: class median 18.07.
- 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