N40686

N40686 is a Maule M-4, a single-engine piston aircraft operated by BENTLEY AVIATION SERVICES LLC. SkyMeter has tracked 8 flights totalling 2 hours of airtime via ADS-B across 2 callsigns. The most frequent segment is 73NE to KPMV. Service window in our records spans 344 days. Of those flights, 2 (25.0%) carry at least one detected incident — go-around, unstable approach, stall warning, or runway excursion. The Maule M-4 has a maximum takeoff weight of 2,300 lb, light wake category.

About the Maule M-4

The Maule M-4 is a rugged four-seat tailwheel aircraft built by Maule Air in Moultrie, Georgia, since the 1960s and renowned for exceptional short-field performance. Designed by Belford Maule — a pioneer in STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) technology — the M-4 family includes variants like the Rocket, Jetasen, and Strata Rocket, powered by engines ranging from 145 to 220 horsepower. With its fabric-covered steel tube fuselage, high wing, and robust landing gear, the M-4 thrives in backcountry strips, gravel bars, and unprepared surfaces where most aircraft fear to tread.

Takeoff rolls under 400 feet and landing distances under 500 feet are routine, making it a favorite among bush pilots, hunters, and remote operators in Alaska, Canada, and the Mountain West. The type's simplicity and field-repairability have kept examples flying for decades, often in harsh environments far from maintenance facilities. While cruise speeds are modest — around 130 knots — the M-4's real mission is getting in and out of places other aircraft cannot reach, not covering distance quickly.

SkyMeter has tracked flights across airframes and operators, with among the most active observed users.