willisbr
09-26-2011, 08:22 PM
Kim and I toured the Maule factory last week in Moultrie, GA. It's not rotor-craft related, but still a neat experience to share in the off-topic.
We left early before sun-up and drove about four hours to Moultrie. We were met by Brent Maule just before noon at the factory. Brent was kind enough to give us a very thorough tour, taking us to every production station throughout about three very large hangar/warehouses. There were numerous airplanes in production at various stages, including one for the Navy, an experimental, and one in repair from Sun 'n Fun. I was immediately excited that I was able to stick my head in some of the frames as the craftsmen and women were hands-on putting these things together. The workers were kind enough to stop briefly and explain what they were doing at the time.
One of the neatest things I remember was the large frame jig. It looked like a contraption out of one of the Saw movies. It was a large box frame with numerous clamps welded all over the place. The idea is the craftsman lays out tubes inside the jig, clamps it all down, and then welds it all together. Then the frame is removed and then put on a rotisserie for the final touches. After the frame is complete, it's off to powdercoat next door. Once the paint is done, workers start running cables, wires, lines, chain, insulation, etc. Once the majority of this is done, it's sent to fabric for it's clothing. This was a neat booth. The fabric is glued on and then ironed to bring it taut to the frame. There were a ton of irons in there and a spooky looking shopping cart with glue all over it. Pretty interesting process. Next, the panel. The instruments are put in last but the harness and brackets can be done ahead of time. All of the wiring is done on site, custom harnesses. I got to watch a guy work on one of the custom harnesses. Pretty neat. The fuselage is rolled into the paint booth for a good coat and bake. Interior fabric is all custom made onsite as well. We saw some seats being made, 100% leather option. Very nice and soft stuff. The wings are fitted last. So off we went to see where they were even made. I saw a few wings in the making, some also being fitted for fuel tanks. The tanks are made on site of course, and so we even saw someone checking the new tanks for leaks. Once most of this stuff is done, the plane gets its final touches. We didn't get much into this because it was time for lunch! We had lunch with Brent and his parents Ray and Rautgunde Maule.
After lunch, we went next door to where training and maintenance takes place at Maule Flight. I sat in a few completed Maules and oriented myself to the different trim options. They pulled out one of the tri-gears and geared Kim and I up for a flight. Ray was kind enough to give me some dual instruction time in the tri-gear. My neighbor owns a Maule so I was slightly familiar with the takeoff and landing procedures. Ray walked me through the paces and in no time, we were in the air. We got out of the pattern and he showed me some of the slow flight, turning, and stalling characteristics of the Maule. What?! The Maule stalls?? When? Very impressive aircraft! After some maneuvering, we got back in the pattern and did a few landings. I really like this aircraft. Additionally, Ray seems to be a really great instructor. He had this calm presence in the aircraft. He made minor corrections with me and told me calmly what he was doing with his inputs. He explained in detail what and why he would make certain inputs. Once he explained something, he would ask if I understood before he moved on to something else. Once we were on the ground, I taxied to the hangar and sadly had to get out. We swapped contact information and courtesies. I was even gifted a Maule ball-cap for my visit. We had a great day! A day to remember. Now to pull some strings and make my latest dream come true...
I've posted some of the highlight pics. For the full album, check out: Maule Factory Visit (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150300229202142.336743.505467141).
We left early before sun-up and drove about four hours to Moultrie. We were met by Brent Maule just before noon at the factory. Brent was kind enough to give us a very thorough tour, taking us to every production station throughout about three very large hangar/warehouses. There were numerous airplanes in production at various stages, including one for the Navy, an experimental, and one in repair from Sun 'n Fun. I was immediately excited that I was able to stick my head in some of the frames as the craftsmen and women were hands-on putting these things together. The workers were kind enough to stop briefly and explain what they were doing at the time.
One of the neatest things I remember was the large frame jig. It looked like a contraption out of one of the Saw movies. It was a large box frame with numerous clamps welded all over the place. The idea is the craftsman lays out tubes inside the jig, clamps it all down, and then welds it all together. Then the frame is removed and then put on a rotisserie for the final touches. After the frame is complete, it's off to powdercoat next door. Once the paint is done, workers start running cables, wires, lines, chain, insulation, etc. Once the majority of this is done, it's sent to fabric for it's clothing. This was a neat booth. The fabric is glued on and then ironed to bring it taut to the frame. There were a ton of irons in there and a spooky looking shopping cart with glue all over it. Pretty interesting process. Next, the panel. The instruments are put in last but the harness and brackets can be done ahead of time. All of the wiring is done on site, custom harnesses. I got to watch a guy work on one of the custom harnesses. Pretty neat. The fuselage is rolled into the paint booth for a good coat and bake. Interior fabric is all custom made onsite as well. We saw some seats being made, 100% leather option. Very nice and soft stuff. The wings are fitted last. So off we went to see where they were even made. I saw a few wings in the making, some also being fitted for fuel tanks. The tanks are made on site of course, and so we even saw someone checking the new tanks for leaks. Once most of this stuff is done, the plane gets its final touches. We didn't get much into this because it was time for lunch! We had lunch with Brent and his parents Ray and Rautgunde Maule.
After lunch, we went next door to where training and maintenance takes place at Maule Flight. I sat in a few completed Maules and oriented myself to the different trim options. They pulled out one of the tri-gears and geared Kim and I up for a flight. Ray was kind enough to give me some dual instruction time in the tri-gear. My neighbor owns a Maule so I was slightly familiar with the takeoff and landing procedures. Ray walked me through the paces and in no time, we were in the air. We got out of the pattern and he showed me some of the slow flight, turning, and stalling characteristics of the Maule. What?! The Maule stalls?? When? Very impressive aircraft! After some maneuvering, we got back in the pattern and did a few landings. I really like this aircraft. Additionally, Ray seems to be a really great instructor. He had this calm presence in the aircraft. He made minor corrections with me and told me calmly what he was doing with his inputs. He explained in detail what and why he would make certain inputs. Once he explained something, he would ask if I understood before he moved on to something else. Once we were on the ground, I taxied to the hangar and sadly had to get out. We swapped contact information and courtesies. I was even gifted a Maule ball-cap for my visit. We had a great day! A day to remember. Now to pull some strings and make my latest dream come true...
I've posted some of the highlight pics. For the full album, check out: Maule Factory Visit (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150300229202142.336743.505467141).