Why do they always land on the left?

[welliewanger]

Something I've noticed. If a student isn't going to land on the centreline of the runway, 9 times out of 10 they'll land on the left. What's so special about the left?

[lotusexige]

Don't know but the first few times I landed an aircraft from the right hand seat I tended to land to the right of the runway.

[Spotthedog]

To avoid hitting aircraft landing in the opposite direction of course.

[CirrusF]

Because they are sat on the left in training aircraft and over-compensate for their displacement from the centreline of the aircraft. |

On inline training aircraft (eg Chipmunk) there is not the same tendency.

To avoid hitting aircraft landing in the opposite direction of course.
Except that French students make the same error...

[pembroke]

Best tip I was given, on a B737 approach into a windy Edinburgh, is to put the centreline between your legs and you will never be more than a few inches out. Works on taxiways, large aircraft and GA. (works when you try and line up in a car wash !) Oh, and if they are fitted, you can hit all the centreline lights!

[Flintstone]

He's on the left of the centreline and you're on the right.

Pay attention :rolleyes:

[boofhead]

Usually it is because the control wheel, when pulled back with the left hand, will be turned slightly to the left as the arm is brought back. This is a natural movement, quite unconscious and due to the way the arm is hinged at the elbow. Try it as you sit at your computer; grip an imaginary wheel and pull it back. You will see your hand being forced to go down as the elbow comes back. It takes a conscious effort to train yourself to not do this.
A control stick held in the left hand does the same thing, while if it is held in the right hand should cause the airplane to roll to the right, although a stick is not as bad as a wheel.
Another reason that has some effect on the problem is that the rudder will have been held slightly to the left (in a clockwise turning engine) and as the speed is reduced for the landing, that rudder needs to be taken off.
One way to overcome the problem is to insist on remaining on the centreline, by using rudder initially, following up with aileron if needed.
I usually point out Fred to my students, standing by the runway with a paint pot and brush in his hand. I invite the student to observe the tears in Fred's eyes when he sees them rejecting his lovely centre line.

[chrisbl]

I usually point out Fred to my students, standing by the runway with a paint pot and brush in his hand. I invite the student to observe the tears in Fred's eyes when he sees them rejecting his lovely centre line.

Gordon Bennett - how old are your students -or do they have a mental age of 5?

[Reverserbucket]

Tricycle landing gear with a clockwise rotating prop there will be left turning tendencies through the centripetal forces acting when the tyres contact the surface and of course the torque effect of the prop - the latter may be compensated by the residual slipstream across the vertical tailplane at idle settings but in principal it is still there. Proper rudder control is the key - but we all know that don't we?

[Pugilistic Animus]

torque effects:confused:

[boofhead]

I do think my students enjoy their flying and are willing to do well. when I learned to fly I was not allowed to land off centre line, the penalty was to be washed out of the course, but my students are all civilian so I need something to make them think and a little humour sometimes helps.
"You paid the taxes that let them paint that line, so use it!", "How considerate, landing on the side of the runway and not wearing out the paint," etc.
I still remember flying with a great inspector from New Zealand, as I flew down on a steeper than normal glidepath to the threshold of the runway in a HS748, "The only time you were on the VASIS, Boofhead, was as you went through 300 feet! Maybe I will recommend that they take it out, since you evidently don't need it!"

[A and C]

I think landing to the left is a subconcsious hang over from from car driving, the student unwittingly applys light pressure to the left rudder mimmicing the action of positioning the foot over the clutch pedal when they are about to come to a stop in a car.

[DA-10mm]

a student's mistakes usually equal an instructor's incompetnce.
'nuff said...

[betterfromabove]

This is fascinating....I'd been wondering about this for a while, as it's a trait I've seen in my own landings, although - as one poster has mentioned - it's more marked in nosewheel a/c than tailwheels.

I'd assumed it was some kind of parallax effect due to left seating...

One to gently experiment with on your next landing I suspect.

[18greens]

Its just because they sit on the left so they think they need to land on the left to hit the middle. The 737 guy said get your areeese on the centre line and it will all be oK and the case is the same for a PA28.

The only reason not to hit the centre line is
1) Grass runway gets worn out if everyone hits the same point.
2) Tailwheel ac land next to the c/l tp keep staight on the runway in absence of all other visual clues.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

a student's mistakes usually equal an instructor's incompetnce.
'nuff said...

And there lies the true reason.

[boofhead]

Now I have to figure out what incompetnce is...

[DA-10mm]

so i missed an "e"...shoot me.

too many beers after another long day of students trying to kill me.

i'll make sure i spell-check before posting, just to make you happy.

[boofhead]

Hey, I agree with you. Just using some of my silly humour.
The real reason students land on the left is that they are budding socialists. Didn't you know that?

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

A and C. There is something in what you say but I think it is more to do with sensitivity of “foot control”. Driving a car, we are used to light and sensitive movement of the accelerator (and brakes) but we are also used to great boot movements on the clutch. This differential foot control probably becomes hard wired in to us and translates to our flying. I think CirrusF and boofhead make good points too (but not regarding Fred!) on contributory factors.

[Intercepted]

As a recent student I can confirm that left side landings for me was due to overcompensating for the left seating. Seated 50cm to the left, but compensating 2-3 meters. Anyway, nowdays I land either to the left or right of that centerline on purpose when I'm approaching a well used grass runway.

[tonker]

I agree with A and C, although i would sudgest people are used to and confident in operating a machine with dashed lines on their right from car driving.

I wonder what side they land on in the USA etc?

Over to them i guess

[boofhead]

Poor old Fred. I guess you would not consider the feelings of the glide slope fairies are worth consideration either.

[rotorfossil]

Similar tendency noticed in helicopters. When approaching to confined areas, most people go closer to the side they are sitting (and occasionally hit the blade tips). Only answer is to note something at the far end in the middle and aim at it.

After realising this, I noticed the same tendency when people park cars.

[Lime Rock]

Old but good:

Upon landing:

Tower: "Captain, on your approach you were left of the center line for the entire approach."

Captain: " That is correct sir, and my first officer was slightly on the right side."

[Intercepted]

Ok, lets paint those lines slightly to the right next time they need to be updated :hmm:

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

.......... and each time you change runway ends. :D

[FlyingOfficerKite]

So instructors and first officers must land on the right?!

FOK :confused:

[DA-10mm]

boof and fred--
much thanks for your pragmatic observations.

[JulieFlyGal]

It's due to the rotation of the earth. When lining up with the centreline on final, the earth would have moved a few inches by the time you reached the threshold, thereby putting you off the centreline. :E

[welliewanger]

It's due to the rotation of the earth. When lining up with the centreline on final, the earth would have moved a few inches by the time you reached the threshold, thereby putting you off the centreline. http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/evil.gif

Does this mean that in the Southern hemisphere they'd land on the right? (Coriolis effect and all that):8

[NilDesperandum]

What an excellent question - something I've wondered about for many a year ! Personally I go with the earth rotating type explanation. As far the rest of the reasons people are giving, dont listen to them - they are just trying to baffle you with science and mechanics.

I've noticed that flying members of the Flat Earth Society have no problems. Mind you, they do go off the far edge sometimes.