Rinse Aid
30th Sep 2005, 18:38
Hello. I have what is probably a very simple and obvious question which has been nagging at me for about a week. I hope you'll excuse my ignorance of the subject; I am not a qualified pilot and what I know about aviation you could write long hand on the back of a postage stamp.
What are the factors that determine which side of a two-seat side-by-side cockpit the pilot sits on?
If I may, I'll explain why I'm asking. I have observed generally that in aircraft fitted with dual controls, whether private or commercial, the pilot in charge is usually seated on the left and the co-pilot on the right. This also seems to be the convention with certain military aircraft such as the Hercules and airliner derivatives. This is even the case with some light aircraft - I recently saw a Europa kit built plane in which the instrument panel was mounted so that only the pilot sitting on the left had a clear view of the console. The right hand side was mostly the radio stack and a map tray, despite this aircraft having dual controls.
However, many military types reverse this trend, particularly helicopters. I saw a Lynx and a Police helicopter of some sort in which the pilot sits on the right and the observer on the left and as far as I can tell this is a common arrangement in both military and civilian helicopters. Is this something to do with the fact that these aircraft are not dual control?
What finally got me thinking was when I viewed a Rotorway kit built helicopter. I read an article in which the author criticised the risk of skinning ones knuckles against the left hand side door frame when operating the collective. I also noted that the left hand side cyclic had a radio tuning switch in addition to an intercom, whereas the right hand side cyclic had only the intercom. Clearly the pilot is meant to sit on the left. But if this is a kit built aircraft, isn't it up to the builder? Why can't the builder switch the two cyclic grips around, avoiding the risk to his knuckles and also perhaps permitting easier access to the radio equipment mounted in the instrument stack? This latter thought occured to me when I thought about which control one would most likely let go of momentarily at need. Surely one could afford to release the collective momentarily to adjust the radio or transponder or GPS if necessary during flight more than one could afford to release the cyclic? If the pilot sits on the left, then he doesn't have to reach across himself with his left hand to do this, or swap the cyclic into his left hand, if you follow me.
Anyway, sorry for blithering. Just thought I'd explain why I'm asking in case that helps with the answer.
By the way, the question was: What are the factors that determine which side of a two-seat side-by-side cockpit the pilot sits on? ;)
I'd be very grateful for an explanation of the why's and wherefores.
Thanks!
What are the factors that determine which side of a two-seat side-by-side cockpit the pilot sits on?
If I may, I'll explain why I'm asking. I have observed generally that in aircraft fitted with dual controls, whether private or commercial, the pilot in charge is usually seated on the left and the co-pilot on the right. This also seems to be the convention with certain military aircraft such as the Hercules and airliner derivatives. This is even the case with some light aircraft - I recently saw a Europa kit built plane in which the instrument panel was mounted so that only the pilot sitting on the left had a clear view of the console. The right hand side was mostly the radio stack and a map tray, despite this aircraft having dual controls.
However, many military types reverse this trend, particularly helicopters. I saw a Lynx and a Police helicopter of some sort in which the pilot sits on the right and the observer on the left and as far as I can tell this is a common arrangement in both military and civilian helicopters. Is this something to do with the fact that these aircraft are not dual control?
What finally got me thinking was when I viewed a Rotorway kit built helicopter. I read an article in which the author criticised the risk of skinning ones knuckles against the left hand side door frame when operating the collective. I also noted that the left hand side cyclic had a radio tuning switch in addition to an intercom, whereas the right hand side cyclic had only the intercom. Clearly the pilot is meant to sit on the left. But if this is a kit built aircraft, isn't it up to the builder? Why can't the builder switch the two cyclic grips around, avoiding the risk to his knuckles and also perhaps permitting easier access to the radio equipment mounted in the instrument stack? This latter thought occured to me when I thought about which control one would most likely let go of momentarily at need. Surely one could afford to release the collective momentarily to adjust the radio or transponder or GPS if necessary during flight more than one could afford to release the cyclic? If the pilot sits on the left, then he doesn't have to reach across himself with his left hand to do this, or swap the cyclic into his left hand, if you follow me.
Anyway, sorry for blithering. Just thought I'd explain why I'm asking in case that helps with the answer.
By the way, the question was: What are the factors that determine which side of a two-seat side-by-side cockpit the pilot sits on? ;)
I'd be very grateful for an explanation of the why's and wherefores.
Thanks!