This 1993 Maule MXT-7-180 Is a Pilot-Friendly ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Fresh annual and updated panel make the airplane ready for immediate delivery.

FLYING Staff

Monday, November 24, 2025 at 10:48 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

1993 Maule MXT-7-180 [Credit: Lukas Jorgensen]

Key Takeaways:

Today's Top Pick is a 1993 Maule MXT-7-180, praised for combining rugged bushplane utility with the forgiving ground handling of a nosewheel.
This specific Maule offers exceptional versatility, bridging the gap between a robust bush flyer and a modern instrument trainer with its advanced Garmin G500, 430 WAAS, and autopilot avionics suite.
Powered by a 180 hp Lycoming O-360-C1F and equipped with vortex generators, it provides enhanced STOL characteristics and reliability, currently serving as an instrument trainer.
Listed at $129,000, this aircraft is presented as a turnkey solution for pilots seeking to build time, train for an instrument rating, and explore off-airport destinations.

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Every day, the team at Aircraft For Sale chooses an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, a good deal, or has other qualities we find interesting. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1993 Maule MXT-7-180.

The dream of backcountry flying is often gatekept by the insurance requirements and learning curve of tailwheel aircraft.

The Maule MXT-7-180 shatters that barrier. It offers the rugged, tube-and-fabric utility of a bushplane with the forgiving ground handling of a nosewheel, making it one of the most versatile four-place singles on the market.

This specific airframe takes that versatility a step further by bridging the gap between rugged bush flyer and modern instrument trainer. While many Maules are kept VFR-simple, this example is a true technologically advanced aircraft.

The panel features a Garmin G500 split PFD/MFD flight display and Garmin 430 WAAS GPS, backed up by a uAvionix AV-30 standby PFD. An S-TEC two-axis autopilot and Garmin GMA 340 audio panel round out a suite that makes this aircraft as comfortable shooting approaches into Class B airspace as it is dropping into a grass strip.

1993 Maule MXT-7-180 [Credit: Lukas Jorgensen]

Under the cowling sits a 180 hp Lycoming O-360-C1F paired with a constant-speed propeller. The engine has logged 3,766 hours total time, with strong recent compressions noted at the May 2025 annual.

Currently serving as an instrument trainer for a flight school in Texas, this aircraft has proven its reliability and utility daily. It is equipped with vortex generators on the tail and leading edges, enhancing its slow-flight stability and STOL characteristics.

In the early 1990s, Maule recognized a shift in the market. While the taildragger purists remained loyal, a new generation of pilots wanted STOL performance without the “dance” required to land a conventional-gear airplane in crosswinds.

The result was the MXT-7 series. By adding a rugged oleo-strut nose gear to the proven M-7 fuselage, Maule created an airplane that could still land in 500 feet but taxied like a Cessna 172. It retained the massive cargo doors, four-to-five seat flexibility, and robust steel-tube safety cage.

Listed at $129,000, this 1993 Maule MXT-7-180 is a turnkey solution for a pilot who wants to build time, train for an instrument rating, and explore off-airport destinations in the same machine.

If you’re exploring ownership options, FLYING Finance can help get you airborne. Use our airplane loan calculator to estimate your monthly payments, or connect with an aviation finance expert at flyingfinance.com.