Dumb question from fixed-wing student?
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,383
Likes: 1
From: ...in view of the 'Southern Cross' ...
Mmmm.......
Good question .... I believe the drunken quorum comprised a few of Her Majestys Senior Service types (retired of course) and they said something about the "Rules" having been "lifted" from the Maritime chaps .... thus the rules were considered to have been in place first!
You know those Navy types ... always right
Cheers
Good question .... I believe the drunken quorum comprised a few of Her Majestys Senior Service types (retired of course) and they said something about the "Rules" having been "lifted" from the Maritime chaps .... thus the rules were considered to have been in place first!
You know those Navy types ... always right
Cheers
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 163
Likes: 0
From: somedays in a helicopter, other days in a fixed-wing....
I always thought it was for ease of accessing radios, nav aids etc. &
it evolved from the Vietnam Era, where the PIC would sit on the right because there's less panel so he can view more, and to give the new guys time in the left seat where there aircraft commander would predominantly sit. . also to do with the U.S army taking a survey of it's pilots. majority said the preferred the right hand seat.
As for airline captains sitting on the left - found this.
During the end of the First World War, most powerful fighter aircraft were designed and fitted with rotary engines. It was found that when it came to steering these rotary-engine aircraft, turns to the left were easier because it follows the torque of the engine, whereas turns to the right were harder as it was against the torque forces. Hence it would require more rudder movement to compensate for the forces. Because of this, pilots chose to turn left as a more convenient maneuver and thus most traffic or circuit patterns around airfields, involved mainly left turns.
it evolved from the Vietnam Era, where the PIC would sit on the right because there's less panel so he can view more, and to give the new guys time in the left seat where there aircraft commander would predominantly sit. . also to do with the U.S army taking a survey of it's pilots. majority said the preferred the right hand seat.
As for airline captains sitting on the left - found this.
During the end of the First World War, most powerful fighter aircraft were designed and fitted with rotary engines. It was found that when it came to steering these rotary-engine aircraft, turns to the left were easier because it follows the torque of the engine, whereas turns to the right were harder as it was against the torque forces. Hence it would require more rudder movement to compensate for the forces. Because of this, pilots chose to turn left as a more convenient maneuver and thus most traffic or circuit patterns around airfields, involved mainly left turns.
