BSelic,
I think the answer is that one learns to adapt. Using the car analogy, most people can drive with either hand on the wheel. However, place them in a car car with opposite drive, ie left hand drive for me, and it takes a little while to feel fully comfortable and ability varies with workload. Experience makes it easier - I drive on holiday, Mrs Dog doesn't.
Apart from a Flying Scholarship in a C-150, my training was RAF - Bulldog, Tucano, Hawk etc. Stick in the right hand, throttle/power lever in the left. Looking at formation, this lead one to be more comfortable looking left. The body naturally faces slighty left; note how most pilots turn left given a choice.
When I was given the proud opportunity to fly multi engined aircraft, the left hand now held the yoke; the right hand the throttles. One doesn't realise the difference, or at least I didn't until I formated like this. Sub-consciously, my left hand still controlled forward-aft movement, right hand up and down! The formation effects presented to the eye compared to my apparent inputs was amusing! Nevertheless, we learnt and it is interesting that we conducted Nimrod AAR from the left hand seat and only the 'gifted' AAR instructors flew from the right hand (yet 'conventional' single seat) position. If you look at the probe, it favours neither seat!
I now formate happily, effectively and safely in both cockpit and flight deck environments; and fly (and instruct) in both left and right hand seats of multi aircraft.
Incidentally, the initial problem I had with side-stick, fly by wire controls was controlling the aircraft attitude and not the flight path! I had to go very open loop in both seats!
I hope this answers you question.
Last edited by Snow Dog; 7th Sep 2010 at 15:42.
Reason: Line added after looking at picture.