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Which hand do you prefer to use...

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Old 9th Oct 2008, 11:18
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Which hand do you prefer to use...

...on the throttle? Me, I prefer left hand on throttle, right hand on stick (assuming the throttle is on the left of course!).
I learned on conventional setup (ie centre throttle) but immediately liked the left side throttle arrangement once I tried it.

Anyone agree?
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Old 9th Oct 2008, 11:57
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Horses for courses.
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Old 9th Oct 2008, 12:05
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It is not quite that simple. I learned on Gliders, so right hand on stick, left on airbrake. If I am flying a single seat I always fly right handed. However in a DR400 there is a throttle on the left, but nothing else. To fly a go around from 200ft you open the throttle with your left hand, swap hands, and push the carb heat in with your right hand, not good! In this case I fly left handed.

Rod1
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Old 9th Oct 2008, 12:24
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It makes no difference.

One airplane requires you to fly with your left hand on the stick, another the right. Even the same airplane, swapping one seat for the other in a side-by-side seating arrangement, requires swapping hands. Think in terms of what you want the airplane to do, rather than what inputs you make with your hands, and very quickly you won't notice which hand is doing what.
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Old 9th Oct 2008, 12:43
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guppy says in more eloquent words exactly what I said, horses for courses.

Being flexible and adaptive makes it much easier to move between types.
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Old 9th Oct 2008, 14:30
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No hands just stick it on auto jump in the back and do a crossword ? and who has their hands on the throttles anyway ? (only joking but I know a few who have to be told to put their hand there

Believe going off subject a little there was an RAF technique for turning which involved rudder followed by aeleron to centre the ball and another using rudder with the aircraft trimmed in level flight to hold a heading thus iliminating hands for other uses.

Throttles maybe voice control ??? up up or lower lower comes to mind for future development. But really it doesnt matter and its good practice to get used to flying from both sides

Pace
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Old 9th Oct 2008, 14:55
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Just like renting a car in Europe/USA:

You 'switch' instinctively before you've left the car lot............

Well, I do, but then I'm ambidextrous.

(I just haven't 'come out' yet)

Cusco
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Old 9th Oct 2008, 15:03
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Depends what side I'm sitting!
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Old 9th Oct 2008, 15:57
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Generally prefer right hand stick and left hand throttle.
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Old 9th Oct 2008, 16:02
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The first aircraft I flew in training was the Chipmunk - left hand throttle, right hand on the stick. So of course the Bulldog which came next was the other way round when sitting in the LHS.

Perfectly happy with either as a result, which was good, because the next one had right hand on the stick and a strange hand-brake type thingy in the left hand
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Old 9th Oct 2008, 17:57
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So of course the Bulldog which came next was the other way round when sitting in the LHS.
Veering slightly off topic; AA do you know why the Grob 115 is soloed from the right by the RAF? Always wondered.
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Old 9th Oct 2008, 18:22
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Which hand do you prefer to use...

My girlfriends..!

well somebody had to say it!
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Old 9th Oct 2008, 18:40
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Mikecr

...now that's the kind of thread I was hoping to start! except that in the back of my mind I kinda knew I would get a load of self-important sh1t from the usual guys.
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Old 9th Oct 2008, 18:49
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A real expert can gain a stroke changing hands.
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Old 9th Oct 2008, 18:51
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Squeegee,

No doubt they'll be experts in this field too...!!!: If one more person tells us theyve got an IR or flies airways all the time....gee's give us a break!!
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Old 9th Oct 2008, 21:48
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Contact Tower -

115 Soloed from the right to acclimatise pilots to left hand throttle right hand stick as it will be from there on in. All primary instruments etc. are on the right.
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Old 10th Oct 2008, 02:08
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I learned to fly in a PA12. Right hand stick, left hand throttle. I transitioned to helicopter, same thing plus collective in the left hand. Later, when I transitioned to Cessnas, it was not hard to fly with the yoke in the left and use the right hand for the throttle. Flying with either hand with a yoke seems natural, but for some reason if I switch hands in an airplane with a stick it feels weird. Probably because I haven't done it much.

-- IFMU
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Old 10th Oct 2008, 03:01
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I don't think it matters. I fly the Pitts mainly with my right hand on the stick and left for the throttle when needed, but in cruise I'll sometimes swap over (not that you do MUCH cruising in the Pitts but you have to get to and from the practice area).

My 182 I fly with my left hand on the yoke, right hand for throttle, radio etc.

I learned Acro on a 115 and that was left hand for the stick, right for the throttle. I also flew an SR20 for a while (not impressed), and that was LH for the side-yoke, RH for the throttle etc.

I've never flown from the right seat but if I did I guess I'd fly with my right hand - if it's a side-stick or -yoke you don't have much choice.

Incidentally the Marchetti is also a side-by-side plane with primary flying on the right, for the same reason as the RAF 115s.

n5296s / n15ta (in this case)
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Old 10th Oct 2008, 04:25
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I switch seats in planes and helos...but for longer trips, I hold the coffee cup and book in either hand.
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Old 10th Oct 2008, 06:12
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AA do you know why the Grob 115 is soloed from the right by the RAF? Always wondered.
I didn't, but read this and this, and all is clear
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