Left Seat???

[Starting 4]

I asked this many moons ago when PPRUNE was an infant and didn't get a definite answer, so here goes again.....

Why does the Captain/Commander sit in the left seat? When and why did this tradition start?

[Sensible]

It's because the F/O is the Captains right hand man of course!

[captain marvellous]

Because the pax board on the left side of the aircraft - including the good looking lady ones.

And because in most parts of the world cars drive on the right side of the road, with the steering wheel on the left side of the car. Obviously this includes the USA, where two-thirds of the worlds aircraft fleet is based.

Most of the english big bombers in WW2 had only one pilots station in the middle of the aircraft, whilst American transport aircraft always had two pilot stations, with the left seat being for the captain.

[Captain Airclues]

The early aeroplanes used to navigate by following line features, such as roads and railways lines. So that they didn't bump into each other, they soon formulated a rule that they should fly down the right of the line feature, so leaving it on their left hand side.
The very early aircraft only had one pilot, who naturally sat in the middle. However, when the first two-pilot aircraft were introduced, the captain, who was sometimes the only fully qualified pilot, sat on the left, so that he could see the line features. The railway companies on the route from London to Paris even painted the names of the towns on the station roofs.
The other reason is that aircraft doors have, since the early airliners, been on the left (port) side. The captain needs to be able to park his aircraft close to the terminal or waiting groundcrew, and can achieve this with greater accuracy and safety from the left-hand seat.

Airclues

[Sensible]

But could this be a chicken and egg scenario where the a/c doors were situated on the left hand side of the aircraft BECAUSE that is the side where the capt sits?

I know I am going to get flack for this, but isn't the USA the world leader in aviation ? In the USA the driver of a car or Capt of an a/c sits on the left. It therefore follows that aircraft would be designed around the capt.

[Captain Airclues]

In years gone by, ships always docked on their port side, to avoid damaging the stearboard. Many of the early aviators were ex mariners, so probably just continued with this tradition.

And another question;

In the film 'Titanic' the officer of the watch shouts "Hard-a-starboard" when he sees the iceburg. However, the ship turns left. Why? A prize for the first correct answer.

Airclues

[Bellerophon]

I believe at that time it was the custom for orders to be given to helmsmen as if they were actually holding a helm, not a wheel.

In other words, an order of "Hard a Starboard" meant "Put your helm hard over to Starboard" and thus the rudder would move fully to Port and the Titanic would therefore move in the correct(!) direction, away from the iceberg...

Of course, if she had turned towards the iceberg, who knows.....

Around the 1930's, with so many accidents at sea being caused by confusion, I believe an International Conference standardised the terminology, so that "Hard a Starboard" meant that the ship's wheel, and the ship's head turned to Starboard.

[Starting 4]

Captain Airclues,

I can accept the flying on the right theory, but when did this start? Also how do you explain that some of the earliest side-by-side aircraft had the pilot on the right? A classic example is the Hadley Page O/100 built in 1916.

[swashplate]

In a Helo, the commander DOES sit on the Left!!!

Anyone know why??????

[Captain Airclues]

Well done Bellerophon (the Internationl Conference was in 1923). A pint of Boddingtons is on it's way to you by e-mail. :)

Airclues

[BIK_116.80]

OK so the litte Titanic thing has been answered. Or has it?

What was the power setting on the Titanic when the quoted steering command was issued? Were the screws rotating to drive the ship forward or aft?

If an aft power setting was selected, wouldnt this cause opposite steering?

[Hector_Pascal]

It doesn't appear to have been mentioned yet, but as a young RAF erk, I was taught that in the early days before radio etc, flying had to be pretty standardised and a good example was the standard left hand circuit unless otherwise indicated on the ground. Therefore, when side by side seats came along it made sense for the Captain to sit on the left so he had a better view of the runway downwind etc. Anyone else not heard this?

[Starting 4]

Another chicken or the egg question...
Did left hand circuits come before the left seat convention or the other way around?

I need factual data(dates, aircraft types, etc.).