Horses & Haeroplanes
Some casual observations on various points raised:
1. My beloved Gnat had the Canopy Lock/Unlock handle (internal & external) on the Starboard side; access steps were normally positioned on the Larboard side.
2. The custom of mounting a horse from the left side originates in the fact that a right-handed sword-wearer will find this best, ie sword/scabbard hanging from left hip.
3. Some horses, particularly those operating in mountainous areas, will be trained to accept being mounted from either side, due to the problems posed when mounting on a precarious narrow trail.
4. Arm Out the Window: having been an 'English/Classic' rider from my youth, I learned to ride 'Western' style some years ago (much better IMHO). I got yelled at for dismounting in my customary way, ie feet out of the stirrups first. The 'Western' dismount is indeed as you describe, keeping the foot in the stirrup until the other foot is on the ground. This may originate in the often large bundles which can be secured to the rear of the saddle; one needs to swing the leg up & over same by standing up in the saddle, using the still-stirruped leg. 'Western' horses (often Quarter Horses) are generally smaller than a typical 'English/Classic' mount, where the height of the horse will make keeping a foot in the stirrup during dismount difficult & dangerous; this is not so with the smaller mount. I have never had a problem with the 'Western' dismount.
5. I did, however, have a massive problem when mounting a feisty half-Arabian 'Western' horse; as I threw my spur-equipped right foot over his back, unbeknown to me, he flicked his tail up & my spur became tangled in it. I was looking forward (to ensure correct orientation in the saddle, one should see a pair of ears in the 12 o'clock), & could not understand why I could not get my leg over (a perennial problem....).
As I jerked my right foot about (still attached to his tail), he grew bored with this & took off like a Grand National favourite. So, I have my left foot in the stirrup, my right foot tangled in his tail, and the reins clamped in my left hand against the front of the saddle, which my posterior has yet to be installed in. As he galloped up the paddock at Vne+, I was worried that if I ejected myself, I may end up being dragged under his pounding rear hooves, so I stayed with it. A looming steel fence athwart our path posed a problem which he solved by making a 90' max-rate turn left; I did not participate in this & instead flew over his neck, impacting said fence with some gusto & panache. Hospital food is awful, isn't it?
6. Profound apologies for the most outrageous thread drift; perhaps though, the above may serve as a salutory warning of the dangers of getting one's spurs caught in the rudder whilst mounting one's fast jet from the wrong side?
HB