Helicopter Pilot Seating

[SPIT]

Hi
Please excuse my EXTREME IGNORANCE but why is the Capt of a Mil or Civ Helicopter always seated on the RIGHT as opposed to the LH Seat in an aeroplane:confused: :confused: :confused: .
Is it something to do with winching even though some HC's are not used for this or are not even fitted with the correct gear ???
Thanks in advance for any reply's
SPIT

[vecvechookattack]

The same reason that the driver of a car sits on the right and the same reason the driver of a horse and carriage sits on the right. It leaves your sword hand free to engage the enemy.

[ThreadBaron]

That would only be true vecvec if fling-wing commanders had three arms!:ooh:

[It's Not Working]

The same reason that the driver of a car sits on the right and the same reason the driver of a horse and carriage sits on the right. It leaves your sword hand free to engage the enemy.
That worked just fine until along came Napoleon Bonaparte and screwed it all up!:mad:

[Whirlygig]

The Hughes 269C has a left PIC seat - something to do with Hughes saying that only poofs and perverts sit on the right.

Having done both left and right hand seat, I'd say that right hand seat is easier in order to have access to the instruments/radio.

When sitting in the left seat and wanting to change radio fequency, I would have to hold the cyclic in my left hand which results in some very inelegant flying!

Cheers

Whirls

[helidriver]

In my experience, with the British Army Air Corps, the pilot sits on the right so that switches can be effected with the left hand thereby keeping control of the cyclic. If the aircraft has a crew of 2 then the Aircraft Commander sits on the left allowing the pilot to fly while he or she operates the aircraft sensors or navigation equipment. In the Apache, the Aircraft Commander normally sits in the front for the very same reason.

Hope this helps,

h

[Chugalug2]

In my experience, with the British Army Air Corps, the pilot sits on the right so that switches can be effected with the left hand thereby keeping control of the cyclic. If the aircraft has a crew of 2 then the Aircraft Commander sits on the left allowing the pilot to fly while he or she operates the aircraft sensors or navigation equipment. In the Apache, the Aircraft Commander normally sits in the front for the very same reason.

Hope this helps,

h

Well you learn something new everyday! A chum of mine, a Hercules Captain, many many years ago, was out of his seat having a stretch, when one of his passengers, an army subaltern came up front to see the view. My friend was asked what he did, and explained that he was the Aircraft Captain. "Where do you sit?" asked his passenger, "Over there", he said indicating his vacant seat. "Isn't that where the pilot sits?", he was asked. " I am the pilot", he stated. "Good God man, don't you have a competent NCO to do that?", replied his astonished guest. We put all this down to the idea that a tank or jeep driver could be continuously ordered to turn left, go faster, slow down, stop etc., but now it has taken on a different dimension if the same orders can be effected in the air!

[Without Care]

SPIT,

Most helicopters can be flown with the Capt in either front seat and many are.

WC

[Hangin around]

Chugalug2
Not a very enlightened view if I may be so bold????? :bored:
On further investigaton, you may discover a 2nd new thing today. MOST pilots and indeed Aircraft Commanders in the AAC are in fact SNCO's. They are not denied a career path as a pilot simply because they aren't graduate material who instead chose to join up straight into the ranks. You may even (gasp - horror!) discover a 3rd - that most QHI's within the Corps are these jolly competent NCO's types.
Spiffing these days isn't it, that they'll let the oiks do any old job..........



PS Commanders in an army helicopter sit in the left hand seat and the pilot in the right, but the cab can be flown from either

[Kitbag]

I have just been looking at early photos of Bell helicopters- the Model 30, which began flying in 1942 shows the TP Floyd Carlson in both the left and right position during early flights, but by 1945 the Model 47 (Sioux) which was the earliest civil certificated helicopter, is almost exclusively piloted from the RH seat as were later models. I suspect it became a case of 'this is the way its always been'.
This tradition is probably more important for landing on ships, which I believe is now always done from the port side of the boat, but no doubt I shall be corrected.
In the same vein, why is the PIC of a fixed wing aircraft always in the left handseat?

[GipsyMagpie]

I heard it was because one of the first Test Pilots for Skiorsky (Lee Morris) in 1942-43 learned how a helicopter flew from the left. Then when he had to teach someone lese he didn't want to have to relearn how to fly from the right. So the students all learnt from the right and never knew any different. Later, it was safer and easier for a right hand seat instrucotr to train new people from the left due to higher experience levels.

All this is from the legend that is Ray Prouty.

[Sven Sixtoo]

My understanding was that in early helos there was only one collective, and as cyclic was the more complex input, people sat where their right hand was on the cyclic and their left on the collective.

Mil products and derivative designs are the other way round in my limited experience (40 minutes in a PZL Sokol).

Sven

[JP1]

I understand it dates back to the early use of helicopters on aircraft carriers. Since an aircraft carrier's control tower is on the right of the ship and in general is sailing into wind when launching aircraft, the captain had to sit on the right in the helicopter when hovering to land. Unless he didn't mind blade strikes!

[helidriver]

Well you learn something new everyday! A chum of mine, a Hercules Captain, many many years ago, was out of his seat having a stretch, when one of his passengers, an army subaltern came up front to see the view. My friend was asked what he did, and explained that he was the Aircraft Captain. "Where do you sit?" asked his passenger, "Over there", he said indicating his vacant seat. "Isn't that where the pilot sits?", he was asked. " I am the pilot", he stated. "Good God man, don't you have a competent NCO to do that?", replied his astonished guest. We put all this down to the idea that a tank or jeep driver could be continuously ordered to turn left, go faster, slow down, stop etc., but now it has taken on a different dimension if the same orders can be effected in the air!

Aircraft Commanders in the AAC are generally selected by experience, not rank, except in the Apache. It would not be uncommon for a Sergeant to Command a Captain in the aircraft. This is not so in the Apache where Officers or very senior NCOs occupy the front seat due to the tactical dimension of warfighting this machine can provide. Apparently, the Apache seat selection is determined by how clever you are. However, I'm sure the SNCOs who complete the same pilots course as the Officers would, very rightly, argue otherwise!

[jayteeto]

Please Please Please, this is NOT an army bash, it is a genuine question....
For years on these very forums, the army have been having a go at the RAF for their officer only pilot system. We stated that historically, only officers could carry nukes in the RAF and this carried on into other flying jobs. Why are the army going down this path of officers or some 'very special' SNCOs being allowed to get near the AH weapon system?? Have you decided the RAF was right all along or is the idea a load of bull??

[Clockwork Mouse]

The Army has historically used SNCO pilots widely because it has needed a large number of highly competent Drivers Airframe. These drivers did not need to have a wide or deep knowledge of unit level tactics and procedures.
Though I have been out of the game for a long time, my understanding is that the AH opens another dimension and, when hunting in packs, often needs commanders with unit command training and experience. Hence the increase in the proportion of officers required in AH units. The AH can still be driven by a SNCO, in fact they will usually have more practical skill and experience of flying the aircraft than an officer who has other strings to his bow.

[Clockwork Mouse]

Kitbag,
I am afraid you are incorrect about the Bell 47. The driver sat in the left hand seat. Incidentally, I learned on a Hiller Raven in which the driver sat in the middle with pedals either side of the instrument console!

[Kitbag]

CM
Sorry to disagree, but I do have a number of published photos which have the driver on the right, although as I said above not exclusively so. Remember this type was one of the earliest 'popular' helicopters, and was not operated only by the British Army. The point I was trying to put across was more of a convention developing through common practice rather tha a perceived need for the PIC to be in the LH or RH seat. :ok:

[Clockwork Mouse]

In that case I spent 1000 hours sitting in the wrong seat. Might explain a lot.

[Clockwork Mouse]

Kitbag
Early light hels with bench seats required the driver to sit on the left because of the need for space for the collective lever, operated by the left hand. The second collective on a Bell 47 was recessed in a slot in the centre of the seats, OK for a back-up or instructor station but not for the pilot.
With the introduction of individual seats with space in between for the collective, it made sense for the driver to sit on the right so he could control the aircraft with the cyclic in his right hand and tweak the knobs, hold his coffee etc with his left with the collective friction on.
I attach an extract from an early flight test report on the Sioux!

The Bell 47G3-B1, known to the British Army as the Sioux and to the irreverent as the Clockwork Mouse, is the first genuine see-through aircraft ever to enter military service. Used in the observation role, the Sioux's built-in transparency is a triumph of helicopter design.
The early production models were built by a well-known Italian motorcycle manu-facturer in 1964 and represented 17 tireless years of development since the prototype first flew in 1947. It replaced a more modern aircraft, the Squitter Mk 12.
The cockpit layout is conventional, except that it accommodates the crew seated three abreast and is left hand drive. The central passenger may be replaced by a dual collective lever if prolonged flight in manual control is contemplated.

[Kitbag]

Following on from CM's helpful comments re Sioux (Bell/Westland/Agusta Model 47G), I came across this website: http://cellmath.med.utoronto.ca/B47/47Home.html for anyone who is interested. It certainly backs up what CM said about the bench seats, especially on the military variants and the collective seems to vary considerably. Unfortunately for my contention re RH seat pilots none are airborne (of those I looked at anyway). If you're on the mil net right now most of the Flash players won't work but the site is clearly a labour of love with many examples and photos of mainly G models but also some earlier and later variants. :ok:

[extpwron]

I thought it was all to do with Tail Rotor Drift.

Due to tail rotor thrust, if left uncorrected, aircraft will drift right in the hover.

Left cyclic is applied to counter.

Aircraft now sits left wheel/skid low.

Counter this by placing driver in RHS.

QHIs/Beefers - please jump in with your coloured pens if this is incorrect!

[Tourist]

extpwron.
Now explain why the Frence still fly from the right seat?

[Raincheck]

i seem to remember in the dim and distant past flying the Bell 47 from the LHS. I would have had to have extremely long arms in order to (if I remember correctly) push in the fuel cock during start as it was situated on the left hand side of the cockpit, almost under the left leg !!

[movadinkampa747]

It is a good job you weren't sat on the RHS. Just imagine how long your arms would have to have been in that situation.............:eek:

[Tourist]

What a load of b@llocks!
1. Look at a range of helicopters.
2. Observe the hover attitudes.
3. Notice that plush exectutive helicopters always fly level, but hover squint. This is because rich passengers dislike flying on a lean so are set up to minimise the vertical difference between TR and MR in cruise flight. In a skidded military helicopter such as the UH1, they hover flat so even American Pilots can have a reasonable chance of successfully landing, but fly squint because grunts do not get to complain. You cannot have both hover and flight level, due to the couple refered to earlier.
The idea that we sit on one side to help fight the couple is proved wrong by the fact that French Helicopters have the blades going the other way, thus have the opposite skid low, but still fly from the right.

I am just guessing :rolleyes: , but the fact that most of the origional helicopters with more than one seat had one collective centrally, but two cyclics is what led to the right seat flying. People noticed that since most of us are right handed, it was best to have the right hand on the sensitive control, ie the cyclic, which naturally puts you in the right seat.QED

[Rigga]

WIWO Whirlwinds...
I was told by one of the 'senior' instructors that the reason for flying from the Right seat was down to basic ergonomics (before the invention of the word?).
"With the Stick in your Right Hand and the Lever in your Left - it is possible to use your left hand to work the switches, dials. levers. etc. - while jamming you left Knee against the Lever to stop it dropping!"
I believe it was only later developments of Whirlwinds that introduced Friction pads to Collective Levers, and eventually to Cyclic Sticks on other types (that the Whirlwind never had!)
Couldn't argue with that!

[exrotarybooty]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/exrotarybooty/SiouxOfficeAden.jpg
This may help with the discussion! We Bootneck Sioux pilots sat on the Port side, and the 'filled' part you can see in the middle seat was where the dual controls collective lever was positioned when fitted.
The tail rotor pedals had 'Agusta Bell' on them which we told passengers was Italian for 'Adjustable'!
Sitting on the port side did make it awkward when changing radio channels etc, but it meant you could carry two passengers.
Rotarybooty

[Clockwork Mouse]

ERB
That takes me back! I notice you didn't have the button-on "blind-flying" panel in those days, and I love the temperature guage courtesy of Lakeland!

[Clockwork Mouse]

As we are talking about the Sioux, I thought I would quote the whole Flight Test Report!

FLIGHT TEST: THE SIOUX AH 1

The Bell 47G3-B1, known to the British Army as the Sioux and to the irreverent as the Clockwork Mouse, is the first genuine see-through aircraft ever to enter military service. Used in the observation role, the Sioux's built-in transparency is a triumph of helicopter design.
The early production models were built by a well-known Italian motorcycle manu-facturer in 1964 and represented 17 tireless years of development since the prototype first flew in 1947. It replaced a more modern aircraft, the Squitter Mk 12.
The cockpit layout is conventional, except that it accommodates the crew seated three abreast and is left hand drive. The central passenger may be replaced by a dual collective lever if prolonged flight in manual control is contemplated.
Passengers enjoy an impression of space surprising for a machine of this size and quickly learn to open the Financial Times in the area provided between the pilot and his instruments. Nervous twitches caused by plunging share prices can result in both magnetos being switched off. Only a rudimentary knowledge of the newspaper's layout is required for the pilot to locate the switches, and restarting the engine is straightforward.
Visibility from the pilot's station is otherwise excellent, being obscured only by
the doorframe, the instrument panel, a dashing yellow "go faster" stripe on the canopy and a decorative length of red wool attached outside by a strip of cellotape. There is a convenient foreign-object collection point immediately beneath the yaw pedals.
Starting is straightforward and entirely independent of the rotor tie-down system. Electrical power is intermittently supplied by a forward mounted battery and an ingenious arrangement of breather tubes ensures that when fumes reach the pilot they are well below critical levels. Provision has been made for the engine to be started on cold mornings with the crank handle from an Army truck, and this would be well within the capabilities of a nimble engineering graduate.
The time taken for the cylinder head temperature to reach its minimum of 100O C may be used for flight planning, student briefing or the writing of confidential reports.
The twist-grip throttle operates in the conventional sense through a quadrant containing two detents which are usually so worn as to be of no significance to the pilot.
The aircraft is easy and pleasant to fly for short periods and the upholstery is designed with this in mind. The Sioux's aerodynamic properties are such that total drag is almost balanced by total thrust, resulting in a rock steady hover in ground effect and the ability to attain maximum speed in level flight well within its endurance of 2.5 hours. On production aircraft a calendar replaces the more conventional stopwatch on the instrument panel.
Fuel management is simple and effective. The fuel cock is located alongside the pilot’s collective lever but, should it be overlooked, sufficient reserve is retained in the fuel lines and carburettor for the first few seconds of flight. The idle cut-off lever is mounted conveniently beside the carb-air heat control, allowing the engine to be shut down instantly in any phase of flight.
The 6-cylinder horizontally-opposed Lycoming engine is turbo-supercharged to
provide an inadequate but constant power output from ground level to 12,400 feet. At this altitude, some care must be taken to ensure that none of the flying controls are disturbed. Recovery from vortex ring state is automatic, exhilarating and requires no conscious effort from the pilot provided that he has eaten only sparingly beforehand.
The maximum performance take-off called for in the air test causes only minor discomfort in the crew: pilots have likened the sensation to standing in a bucket and pulling up on the handle.
The high-inertia two-bladed semi-rigid rotor gives the crew plenty of time to diagnose engine failure in the event of a sudden onset of silence. It also incorporates a hydraulically-damped stabiliser bar, whose function has remained obscure since the designer's death, but which keeps the pilot fit during his pre-flight inspection.
The pre-flight inspection itself has been reduced to the minimum, consisting of a visual check that all major components are installed and that daylight is visible through the aft crosstube of the undercarriage. This is difficult to check at night, unless someone is available to shine a torch from the opposite end, which blinds the pilot and delays the sortie. Pilots who like to look through both ends never get airborne at all.
A radio facility pioneered in the Sioux enables a passenger to talk direct to troops on the ground, as well as to himself, other aircraft and the Radar Controller at any busy airport. The popularity of this feature with Sioux pilots should ensure its retention in future helicopters.
The aircraft is easy to service and maintain. All major components are easily accessible and can be cleaned by leaving the Sioux out in the rain. A wide variety of role equipment can he fitted with difficulty and removed with ease. Some role equipment actually removes itself in flight, particularly the load net and strop which fall clear when the underslung load switch is moved to SAFE. This ensures an adequate power margin for landing.
In summary, the Sioux is ideally suited to the Army's requirements, being dirt cheap and grotesque to look at. The noise it makes is particularly popular with the film industry, which dubs it onto all helicopter sequences regardless of the type of aircraft shown.

[Safeware]

CM - very funny.

sw

[exrotarybooty]

CM

Excellent, but a little too close to the truth for comfort. :)

We didn't need the button-on blind flying panel in Aden as we just waited for the next sandstorm.

ERB

[exrotarybooty]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/exrotarybooty/FirstGPMGFlightAug1966.jpg
First trials flight of a heavily armed Royal Marines Sioux in Aden in Aug 1966. They eventually made a few minor tweaks, decided to change the name of the Indian Tribe to 'Apache', and the rest is history.
ERB

[LeCrazyFrog]

I heard it was because long time ago, planes used to make left hand circuits while helos used to make them right hand, hence the position of the pilot in order to see the inside of the turn.

Only a legend...

[Chugalug2]

Chugalug2
Not a very enlightened view if I may be so bold????? :bored:
On further investigaton, you may discover a 2nd new thing today. MOST pilots and indeed Aircraft Commanders in the AAC are in fact SNCO's. They are not denied a career path as a pilot simply because they aren't graduate material who instead chose to join up straight into the ranks. You may even (gasp - horror!) discover a 3rd - that most QHI's within the Corps are these jolly competent NCO's types.
Spiffing these days isn't it, that they'll let the oiks do any old job..........



PS Commanders in an army helicopter sit in the left hand seat and the pilot in the right, but the cab can be flown from either

I think the words end, stick and wrong apply here. The bafflement of my friend, and myself was not that the 'driver' might indeed be an NCO, but that he needed a non pilot officer to command him, which was what the subaltern in question seemed to be implying. As to NCO pilots, my basic flying instructor was a Master Pilot (sort of WO I guess), and the fact that he groomed me sufficiently well to scrape through my FHT speaks volumes for his skill, believe me! As to oics, my first command was with a 6 man (more angry incoming?) crew. I may have been commissioned, but as I was still a one striper Flg Off, I was often the lowest paid member of the crew. The highest pay going again to the married senior master aircrew. If I had considered them oics, I wouldn't be here today to recount these gripping tales of yesteryear! Oh and I've just remembered, the boss, a Wg Cdr Nav, under Transport Command regulations, could indeed be the aircraft commander. No one ever discovered how that would pan out, as he always ceded command to the aircraft captain rostered for the task, to relish a few days of being told where and when to be instead of doing the telling! Is anyone following this? I'm not sure I am, it all seemed so simple at the start. As for NCO pilots, they helped win the Battle of Britain, so we got rid of them, OK? Further information may be found on numerous other threads I'm sure!

[Clockwork Mouse]

The commander of the AAC hel in the scenario you paint might be an officer but he would of course be a qualified and current pilot too.
Do I infer from your chip on shoulder comments that you do not consider that RAF pilots need to be officers? Presumably you consider the job isn't that demanding then. Save a hell of a lot of money busting them all down to SNCO, so good idea mate. Write a paper to the MoD and make your name.

[Chugalug2]

Yeah, the chip still shows obviously, as you spotted. But my revenge for being the lowest paid member of the crew was to be the last to get a round in! :ok:
Oh you mean about NCO pilots? I wasn't an NCO, so didn't have any feelings one way or the other. It seems to be more of a pre-occupation with the AAC, I should ask them! ;)
Got to go now, chin chin. :E

[technobrit]

Several years ago I read a Vietnam-era account of a UH1 pilot, called Mark somebody - his book was called "Chickenhawk", and a really nice read. From that, I gathered that helicopters were commanded from the R/H seat.
I assumed that this meant "all helicopters"... and that therefore helicopters were driven "different to fixed-wing".

So as a layman, I am quite happy to learn that in the British Army at least, the machine is commanded from the L/H seat.
The reason is that I lost a relative in a Sioux crash, and he was in the R/H seat. Since he was the Observer, not the Pilot, I often wondered whether he had been actually doing the flying...

This thread has gone a long way to clearing up that question, so thanks to all involved.

By the way, what is the AAC's policy on the wearing of helmets in helicopters? (or what would it have been say, thirty-five years ago?)

cheers/tb

[grundog]

I can't believe the crap that has been spouted off!!!!
Helicopters 'normally' fly right hand circuits, therefore if flown single pilot the pilot sits in right hand seat (it helps to keep the LS in site!).
In RAF land the Nav/modern WSO name whatever it is sits in left hand seat. In the AAC the Commander of the aircraft sits in the left so he is not flying and therefore has the capacity to do other things.

No one asked why the AAC puts the commander in the left or the NCO in the right blah blah justify justify most AAC pilots are NCOs etc etc

Sorry it took so long to give the thread originator a straight answer but there it is.

Its historic based on the fact helo's fly right hand circuits!

Hip Hip

An Ex Raf SH Nav

[Clockwork Mouse]

GD
Thanks for the leg pull!
The only reason the pilot sits in the RHS in a modern hel is because he can then twiddle knobs, read map, drink coffee, pick nose etc with his left hand while still holding the cyclic with his right and so remaining in control of the aircraft, not many of which have autopilots.
In the Bell 47 Sioux all those years ago we sat on the left and were disadvantaged by having to change hands in order to do the above actions. However, the bench seat layout made it impractical to put a fully functional collective in the centre of the bench to permit the aircraft to be piloted from the RHS, except by a spare crew, instructor, girlfriend or whatever.
As a professional helicopter pilot I never encountered the idea that we could only fly right hand circuits! Very funny.

[Gnd]

Another reason may be that it was dam silly to fly a Helli on your own - Igor Sikorsky in the old days - "I designed it, if you want me to fly it as well, you come too!" Now days the wiggly amp things fly them so it just stuck that 'sticks and stupid' flew in the right. (not always the case now as many of the service rotary aircraft have an appendage that the commander needs to see.)
On the other hand - fixed wing is so simple and for kids that one pilot will do and on the 1st day the left (Port) door was nearer the club house - and so it was.:)

[vecvechookattack]

Thats all very well, but what about when the Aircraft Commander is sitting in the back of the Helicopter

[ZH875]

Thats all very well, but what about when the Aircraft Commander is sitting in the back of the Helicopter
Then he leaves the flying to the stick monkey in the RHS. :ugh:

No stick possibly may have a vote...

[Chimp Boy]

SPIT,

As has already been covered, inbetween ranting from stroppy army types, the A/C Captain/Commander may sit in any seat. In my experience this can depend on what service you work for and what type of aviator you work with. In the glorious SeaKing Mk4 where we have no need for Observers, Navigators or even a second Pilot the A/C Commander by convention will sit in the left seat however if he feels like it, or if he is the only Pilot he will sit in the right seat. When single Pilot he may choose to put the Aircrewman in the left seat.......or he may not. As I'm sure is obvious, with all these choices it is no surprise it takes so long to train a Junglie Legend.

P.S. I haven't even started on where the Flying Maintainer sits during a check test flight!!!

CB

[diginagain]

Back in the mid to late '80s, when the AAC Centre churned out Corporal pilots, it was possible to have two Junior NCOs driving. Naturally, one of them would be auth'd as AC, but I've seen one or two raised eyebrows when popping in to RAF stations for fuel.

Thinking back, myself and another Cpl took a Lynx down to Bad Tolz for a week supporting an SF course, and managed to blag hotel accomodation, officers rate of subsistance allowance (or whatever it was called then) and we were both on third-tour flying pay as we'd both been Aircrewman Observers for six years prior to the Pilot's course.

Nice to see the level of trust that TPTB had put in us; on a previous exercise, one of our colleagues had injected a little realism into the E&E phase by wrapping a Lynx around a barn in a white-out. Having extracted themselves from what remained of their cab, the crew went to see how their pax had fared, only to to see them all skiing off over the next hill.

[Mr Teatime]

Grundog,
I know who you are , where you are and where from whence you came.
Stirer.

[Sailor Vee]

Its historic based on the fact helo's fly right hand circuits!
Bollix, Sir!

ERB will confirm that at sea RM helis, (until the guzzle came along), flew right hand circuits with the pilot on the left and RN flew left hand circuits with the pilot on the right! Either way you did not cross the wake, which was deemed to be the safer option.

[Gnd]

Chimp boy,

SPIT,

As has already been covered, in between ranting from stroppy army types

My dear chap, me thinks they are actually using a little known medium in other forces - humour!!

Try it - makes a lovely change once in a while???

[Chimp Boy]

Humour????
Odd name for a midget fortune teller in the RAF!

They're still stroppy army types

CB

[Akrotiri bad boy]

I always thought the Captain sat in the seat that corresponded with the advancing blade ie: the blade hurtles towards the back of the captain's head.:eek:

[Mmmmnice]

I find, as Aircraft Captain, I can sit in any of the front seats that takes my fancy (including the jump seat, but there are precious few switches within reach and no controls!)

[wokkameister]

I heard that it was to do with the introduction of Navs onto the Rotary fleet. If a helicopter flys right wing low, having one of the pie scoffing fraternity in the LHS counterbalances the aircraft resulting in a smoother flight to an unplanned destination.

Quick one for you!

What do you get if you cross an air trafficker with a Nav?


A **** talkdown to the wrong airfield. Boom Boom