So why does the boss sit here?

[Barry Cole]

Can anyone explain why the Captain of a fixed wing craft sits on the left, and in a rotarty wing craft on the right. :hmm: :hmm: :hmm: :hmm:

BC

[Cap'n Arrr]

I've always assumed it's because most western fixed wing aircraft are based in some way on American design - in the US the driver of a car sits on the left, while in Russia until WWI they sat on the right (This was around Igor Sikorskys time, and he was from Russia)

No proof, that's just my theory:ok:

[parabellum]

This subject well overdone on other forum. Mixed opinion re rotary but on fixed wing it was a convention that, if following a line feature like a road, railway, river, canal etc. etc. then one kept it on ones left thereby opposite direction traffic doing the same would not be head on but off set on the other side of the feature, so the pilot sat on the left.

[TheChitterneFlyer]

From the early days of flying (fixed wing of course), left hand circuits were the convention, so the captain sat on the left so that he could see the signals square... and the runway when it came into view under the left wing during the final turn.

Helicopters... can't remember why; someone did tell me but... age isn't on my side!

TCF

[SNS3Guppy]

Here we go again...:zzz:

[PyroTek]

isn't it to do with the rotor direction?

[Flap 5]

With helicopters it's certainly not due to the direction of rotation of the rotor blades. After all a Puma's blades rotate the opposite way to a Sikorsky's, or other American machine.

Most pilots would be right handed and therefore would hold the cyclic in their right hand and the collective in their left hand. Having the collective in the centre of the aircraft is better. Of course the other pilot has their own collective as well, but that is ownly in machines with two pilots / dual controls.

[forget]

I've always assumed it's because most western fixed wing aircraft are based in some way on American design :confused:

Well that's a new slant on the matter. :eek:

[Brian Abraham]

Done to death here http://www.pprune.org/forums/tech-log/327959-side.html
Just don't take any notice of anything written by Angels 60 and you'll be OK.

[hikoushi]

Always thought it was based on maritime law, where ships pass port-to-port, the captain sitting on the port side to maintain visual contact with the other ship when passing. Which doesn't explain why so many pleasure craft are built these days with the pilothouse to starboard, even though maritime law still mandates ships pass "to each other's right", just as aeronautical law says.

[airsupport]

I just took it that the boss always sits on the left in any machinery. :confused:

My Wife certainly does in our car. :ok:

[john_tullamarine]

My Wife certainly does in our car

.. another well-trained man ...

[airsupport]

Yes, and it has only taken her a little over 39 years. :ok:

Plus I know she will never read this. ;)

[parabellum]

Always thought it was based on maritime law, where ships pass port-to-port, the captain sitting on the port side to maintain visual contact with the other ship when passing. Which doesn't explain why so many pleasure craft are built these days with the pilothouse to starboard, even though maritime law still mandates ships pass "to each other's right", just as aeronautical law says.

Probably me that has missed something but if ships pass 'port to port' then are they not keeping each other on their left?:confused:

[Brian Abraham]

parabellum - You are correct, port to port, left to left.
International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (1948)
Rule 18 (a) When two power vessels are meeting end on, or nearly end on, so as to involve risk of collision, each shall alter her course to starboard, so that each may pass on the port side of each other.

[ChristiaanJ]

Rule 18 (a) When two power vessels are meeting end on, or nearly end on, so as to involve risk of collision, each shall alter her course to starboard, so that each may pass on the port side of each other.Plain language would have helped. But then, legalese and plain English.... ne'er the twain shall meet.

Yes, and it has only taken her a little over 39 years.
Plus I know she will never read this.

That's where you are wrong.
See you Monday at ten o'clock sharp at our lawyer. And bring the keys to the Porsche. It's still in my name.

In my days, it was known as "handbags at dawn".

CJ

[Boslandew]

I don't know about fixed-wing but I always understood with helicopters that it was because, when helicopters really came of age, flying off carriers in the Korean War, with the island on a carrier to starboard, approaches from port and plane guard to port, it made sense for the pilot, often on his own, to sit on the right. S55 (Whirlwind), S58 (Wessex), S61.

Since then, CH53, Chinook, Puma, Lynx and so on.

[ChristiaanJ]

Boslandew,
Your answer sounds plausible.
The 'tradition' is older than the Korean war, but it may well be one of the reasons it persisted!

The subject has already been done to death elsewhere.

But in very brief... in the very early and small helicopters, with only one central collective, it makes more sense for the average right-handed person to fly right hand on cyclic and left hand on collective, hence from the right-hand seat. The 'tradition' has persisted, even when dual collectives became the norm.

For fixed-wing, I've never been sure what was the chicken and what was the egg.... pilot/driver on the left because that was already the habit in cars, hence left-hand circuits and flying to the right of the railway line... or the other way around.