Can a PIC legally fly from either front seat?
 

Sorry if this has been asked before,

However, does anyone in Australia know our rules (or can point me to CASA regs) ..to those rules, about the legality of a Pilot in Command using either the left or right seat to fly any aircraft.

Typically Cessna/Piper.

Are we compeled to use the left hand seat by law?

Also, can a PPL fly the plane legally from the right hand seat with a student pilot sitting in the left seat and not actively flying?

Thanks in advance guys'n gals.

-flopter

Try the question on D&G General Aviation

Seem to remember only with a safety pilot rating or CPL (automatically a SP)

Depends upon national rules I believe - certainly not a problem in the UK.

G

PIC can be in either seat in Oz as long as the flight manual doesn't specify a requirement for a particular seat. Some examples off the top of my head:

Instructors are nearly always PIC when teaching but are usually in the R. seat. Sometimes they're in the L. seat too but it's still usually PIC.

A Victa Airtourer's flight manual specifies the left seat must be occupied when flown by a single pilot.

Ah that's different, most tandem aircraft for example will specify the seat to be occupied if flown solo.

G

It does matter in the UK for certain types of aircraft.

The PIC must be able to reach all of the controls, so for aircraft such as the Pipers Warriors/Arrows etc the right hand seat is too far from the fuel selector.

Also you can only ask a passenger to change out of reach control such as the fuel selector on your behalf if you have an Instructors Rating.

Can't remember where this exact law is written but our instructors are not allowed to fly solo from the right hand seat for solo ferry flights.

A tricky one. I know what you mean, but what about instrument training (in VMC)? Does an Instructor have to be PIC then? whether he wants to be or not is of course a different question.

Interestingly, most examiners I've encountered state specifically that they are NOT PIC.

AFAIK in the US, there is no (legal) restriction to flying right seat, unless the a/c POH or placards state otherwise.

Onan - interestingly enough, an examiner is either PIC or not, but the decision is retrospective! On a successful flight test, the candidate logs P1. Unsuccessful he logs dual instruction. I'm only a humble destructor, and don't know how the examiner would log it.

For all formal training the instructor is PIC, even if the student is qualified to fly that type in the prevailing conditions. Otherwise the instructor wouldn't be able to log hours!

Notam - I am often the PIC of a PA28 in the right seat. I can reach the fuel selector without too much trouble, although I prefer not to so I brief students to do it very early in the course, reminding them in the pre take-off brief of the actions required if I ask them to shut down the engine in the event of an EFATO. Given an EFATO on a trial lesson I would probably leave fuel on until we were on the ground, use the mixture to prevent engine restart and limit fire. Not ideal, but safest I can get.

Thankyou for your collective input to my quiries in this regard.

I couldn't find anything in the current regs and I don't remember being told anything about this from when I got my license in '82.

I think it is clear that the main requirement is safety and airmanship based on the particular Aircrafts Flight Manual.

and Perhaps there's a little requirement on being ambidexturous too!

Personally, I like the RHS when in the circuit, especially for high wing AC.. quite simply, the view is better during the left hand turns imo.

Cheers

-flopter.