As I write this week’s article, I must admit- I’m a little bit excited, RACWA’s P Mentor is on its way!
So why the reference to Ferrari?
It’s red like a Ferrari.
It has the same number of seats as a Ferrari.
It doesn’t have the same top speed as a Ferrari (296 GTB 300 km/h vs P Mentor 217 km/h)
You can however, drive it much faster than a Ferrari (296 GTB 110km/h vs P Mentor 217 km/h)
It has a better climb performance than a Ferrari (296 GTB 0 ft/min vs P Mentor 650 ft/min)
It has a better glide performance than a Ferrari (296 GTB vertical vs P Mentor estimated 10:1)
The Ferrari 296 is hybrid so its fuel efficiency is slightly better than the P Mentor (296 GTB 6.4 l/100 km vs P Mentor 6.9 ;l/100km) although this is better than most family vehicles.
They are both cost about the same at just north of $600,000 Australian Dollars.
I could not afford to buy either a Ferrari or a P Mentor
It would be difficult If even possible to hire then drive a Ferrari, a check ride (you will require constant speed/variable pitch endorsement) then phone calls to RACWA will allow you to hire a P Mentor.
Ferraris cannot go over rough terrain or water, P Mentors can go wherever you want them to go as long as there is a landing strip at the end.
So, is our P Mentor better than a Ferrari, looks like it very well might be.
So, when you do hire VH-TMG, as with all our fleet, please treat it like a Ferrari and not your standard “hire car”, be careful, look after it and very importantly- please help to keep it clean, tidy and presentable.
As I finish writing this, a quick visit to https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/vh-tmg#35fb399c, and I note that Jarod and Sura have departed Broken Hill, left hand turn after take-off and departing off the downwind leg, good sign- hopefully no headwinds today.
Smooth landings,
John Snare
Safety Manager
