Aside from the banter and examples, is there an actual standard for ‘handiness’ and flight deck nomenclature ?
I cannot identify a specific regulatory requirement or ‘binding’ recommendation in international standards, e.g. SAE.
I suspect that there is an overriding interpretation in regulations which allows either form provided it is consistent across the aircraft type. This might be voluntarily extended to all aircraft by a particular manufacturer, but even this could be increasingly difficult with technological advance.
Left right, one two, is resolvable, but what about three, four … yellow, blue, green, emerg. As the complexity of technology expands we might end up with a physics type naming; up down strange beauty.
A lack of conformity amongst manufacturers and/or requirements could generate significant problems for operators with mixed fleets; a potential safety hazard.
Operators have the option to rewrite drills and checklists, but emergency procedures could be difficult, requiring formal amendment of the AFM. Similarly tech and maintenance manuals would create enormous workload.
I recall an associated issue being addressed in a paper relating to a ‘dominant culture’ in aviation; any refs?