PPRuNe Forums - Left-handed pilots

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Originally Posted by SignalSquare (Post 10929564)

I noticed that left habded students were generally slower off the mark in military training. Just simple hand-eye coordination was not as developed. But they usually got there in the end! Generaly speaking 'Sinisters'; seem to be more ampidextrous than 'Dexters'

But at least some of us can spell. :oh:

Im mostly right handed but use cutlery left handed and prefer flying most side by side aircraft from the right seat with right hand on stick/yoke and left for throttle, I can fly the other seat if I have to but if instrument view and control proximity allows I always go for the right seat....I'm probably a bit strange

When I fly my glider I have my right hand on the stick because trim is on the left. When I fly the tug my left is on the stick because the carb. heat, trim, flaps and radio are on my right. I don't even think about it. Generally I'm right handed but it doesn't seem to matter when I'm flying.

To the original poster, wait with the writing until level and trimmed, or if required, scribble scrabble really fast the numbers needed, and do the longer calculations when level.

Pro-life tip: You can bring your wife/girlfriend and have her doing the writing.

PS: Don't bring both, it may cause for unforeseen consequences.

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Don't bring both

Grin. Limiting one's self to two-seaters has its advantages.

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Originally Posted by Pilot DAR (Post 10926032)

Which hand on which control is getting too much thinking. My two certified planes each have the throttle in opposite hands when flying in the left seat, no problem. Don't think of flying the plane as thinking your left/right hand to move a control to fly the plane, think to fly the plane, don't think about what your hands are doing, they'll figure it out soon enough. It's like children, don't let them complain about something being different, just let them do it as normal.

For anyone who has ever learned to operate a backhoe/excavator well, you don't make your mind operate your hand to operate a lever to operate the boom or the bucket, you just make you mind operate the bucket, forget what muscles are in between. I'll watch myself trenching as intended, and look at my hands, they're just doing their own thing, as my mind moves the bucket. 'Same with the plane, I think, it flies, I don't care which hand is doing what.

Once you're experienced, and those brain to cowl, or brain to bucket connections are well established, then yes. I bet you weren't doing it like that your first time though.

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I bet you weren't doing it like that your first time though.

I think it's fair to say that your first time flying (or otherwise operating) anything allows you a little getting used to. The key is not to pity yourself 'cause you're having to use a different hand to move a control to get to fly the plane you wanted to fly. I "had" to fly a Navajo right seat two weeks ago - engine controls in the "wrong" hand. I guess that my choice was to decline to fly it? No, rise to the occasion! For certified planes, it's a mind over matter thing, once the pilot minds over the matter, the second, and subsequent, minutes of the flight should be fine!

What can be slightly more tricky is alternately riding a motorcycle with a left side gear change on a "one down, four up" gearbox and right side rear brake pedal, then one with right side gear change with a "one up, three down" gearbox and left side rear brake. Especially when another road user forces you to do an emergency stop not long after setting off.