Why Do You Fly From the Right Hand Seat?
Joined: Oct 2000
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From: Little colonial airfield in the land of prawns, beer & roos
One which hasn't been mentioned and is not the original reason but is very valid is seaborne helos landing on a carrier deck can not land from the right side of the ship as there's some large lumps of steel in the way known as the 'island'. So landing from the left of the ship a right hand seat gives you a much better view (Try cross cockpit deck landing at night for a bit of a lark!!!)
Oh and flying right hand on collective's a real sod if you'r not doing it constantly. Just think in the hover drifting forwards normal correction right hand back ...ops the sods climbing so left hand goes down....bu??@^ it's going faster etc. etc. Tried it years ago on Gazelle, simple corrections ok, but ask me my name and it went to a ball of chalk so fast it was not funny.
Oh and flying right hand on collective's a real sod if you'r not doing it constantly. Just think in the hover drifting forwards normal correction right hand back ...ops the sods climbing so left hand goes down....bu??@^ it's going faster etc. etc. Tried it years ago on Gazelle, simple corrections ok, but ask me my name and it went to a ball of chalk so fast it was not funny.
Joined: Aug 2001
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From: australia
Ok...i could be wrong but the H500 for example was designed as a work horse say for slinging etc:...so the pilot could sit on the left and lean out the door and have the collective in a comfortable position...have worked with senior pilots who use the duals say in a jetranger to sit on the left. The right hand thoery i agree with, easier to operate radios etc, may also be why the army version of the h500 the PIC sits on the right, obveousley for this reason, interesting topic,
Joined: Sep 2001
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From: Asia Pacific, Nth America
Just a couple of observations after a few hours in the hills
An advantage of RH seat in an American machine
...Flying an American machine from the right is nice in mountains as when you approach ridges, you can always approach obliqely from left to right, slow down, have a look to see if the ridge or saddle is passable and the next valley is a place you want to be. If its not you pull power and are immediately turning right with the Torque and out of there using the least power for the manouver( no extra pedal) and you are on the right side so can see where you are going. If the next valley looks good you can drop the pole a bit and follow the decreased torque over the ridge with minimal cyclic, therefore not limiting your view too much as you turn left. It works for me. I haven't flown a 500 but can imagine some difficulty when you get in trouble and are pulling power. You want to turn left to see where you are going and the machine wants to follow the power - right.
A disadantage of RH seat in an American machine.
...When bringing a load in to a site on a long line with the torque gauge approaching red line, you have to ease up on the pedal to stay in limits while completing the final part of the approach. This causes the airframe to rotate putting the aircraft between you and the spot you wanted to land the load, forcing you to lean out further to keep the load landing spot visual and get the load where you want it. Not really a problem at low altitude assuming you are noty overloading, but would be nice to swap seats while doing hot and high work.
An advantage of RH seat in an American machine
...Flying an American machine from the right is nice in mountains as when you approach ridges, you can always approach obliqely from left to right, slow down, have a look to see if the ridge or saddle is passable and the next valley is a place you want to be. If its not you pull power and are immediately turning right with the Torque and out of there using the least power for the manouver( no extra pedal) and you are on the right side so can see where you are going. If the next valley looks good you can drop the pole a bit and follow the decreased torque over the ridge with minimal cyclic, therefore not limiting your view too much as you turn left. It works for me. I haven't flown a 500 but can imagine some difficulty when you get in trouble and are pulling power. You want to turn left to see where you are going and the machine wants to follow the power - right.
A disadantage of RH seat in an American machine.
...When bringing a load in to a site on a long line with the torque gauge approaching red line, you have to ease up on the pedal to stay in limits while completing the final part of the approach. This causes the airframe to rotate putting the aircraft between you and the spot you wanted to land the load, forcing you to lean out further to keep the load landing spot visual and get the load where you want it. Not really a problem at low altitude assuming you are noty overloading, but would be nice to swap seats while doing hot and high work.
Joined: Sep 2001
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From: USA
Lessee now...I have climbed in 500's over the collective, twiddled the knobs with both hands, fiddled with the cyclic with both hands, turned in the direction I wasn't looking, wenched in a thousand bars...errr..winched from both seats in the front, hovered over underslung loads while facing the rear in a stepped down cockpit (CH-54 Tarhe...Flying Crane to our tea drinking ex-owners), sat in the center seat on both right and wrong way turning machines,scooted over ridges with my eyes wide shut, and to the absolute best of my memory and study of many...many aircraft maintenance manuals have never seen any mention of a "Captain's Seat"! I have seen descriptions such as Pilots Seat, Right hand pilots seat...left hand pilots seat...hell...the Chinook even has a Troop Commanders Seat....but no Captain's seat. Doesn't it all boil down to sitting in the seat that has the sticks with the most buttons on it?
Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Pacific
Heloplt
Hear, hear!
Great posting. Keep 'em coming.
In any case, does it really matter which seat cushion is dissappearing up ones fundamental orrifice in the course of ones duties?
'A hecktopleter is just a bunch of nuts and bolts flying in lose formation'
Hear, hear!
Great posting. Keep 'em coming.
In any case, does it really matter which seat cushion is dissappearing up ones fundamental orrifice in the course of ones duties?
'A hecktopleter is just a bunch of nuts and bolts flying in lose formation'
Joined: Aug 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
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From: Gold Coast, Australia
The concept of landing from the port side of the carrier was obviously never explained to Wings or Little F on Ark. Getting anything other than 6 Spot, adjacent to the oil and muck from the starboard reeves of 3 & 4 wires, was cause for a celebratory drink!
The best win I had was returning from NAS Norfolk with 120 bags of mail. When given the usual 6 Spot, ship turning nicely to put the wind out of limits, etc., we duly called "054 plus 120 sacks of mail, starboard hold"
'Twas a revelation to see the Ark find the incentive to turn back into wind, and offer "Clear land, which Spot would you like?"
The best win I had was returning from NAS Norfolk with 120 bags of mail. When given the usual 6 Spot, ship turning nicely to put the wind out of limits, etc., we duly called "054 plus 120 sacks of mail, starboard hold"
'Twas a revelation to see the Ark find the incentive to turn back into wind, and offer "Clear land, which Spot would you like?"
Joined: Aug 2001
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From: Surrey
Why do heli commanders sit in the RHS?
Why is it that in most helicopters the commander sits in the right hand seat? Is there any reason to make it different to fixed wing aeroplanes? Or is it just the fact that you guys like to be different? 
Cheers,
ILS27R.
Cheers,
ILS27R.
PPRuNe Enigma
Joined: Feb 2001
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From: Scotland
Hey ILS - it's just our little bit of anarchy 
And now for the serious answer....
On a lot of machines rigging to offset tail rotor drift makes the heli hover slightly left skid low with an even load. Hence it makes sense to have the P1 seat on the right so it'll hover level one up.
Anyway, Enstroms have the P1 seat on the left ...
And now for the serious answer....
On a lot of machines rigging to offset tail rotor drift makes the heli hover slightly left skid low with an even load. Hence it makes sense to have the P1 seat on the right so it'll hover level one up.
Anyway, Enstroms have the P1 seat on the left ...
Last edited by Grainger; 17th April 2002 at 12:18.
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: North
By sitting on the right side of the helicopter the pilot can apply slight friction to the collective to keep it at its power setting and then use his left hand to change radios, etc. With aircraft that have three seats in the front the pilot sits in the left seat so that the collective can be taken out of the middle of the aircraft to make room for the center seat passenger.
Iconoclast
Joined: Sep 2000
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From: The home of Dudley Dooright-Where the lead dog is the only one that gets a change of scenery.
This doesn’t apply to all helicopters because as previously stated in this and other threads not all helicopters have the pilots on the right for what ever reason. However, with the advent of the larger helicopters such as the S-55 series, the S-58 series and others in the Sikorsky line the pilot sat on the right because the main entry to the helicopter and the hoist were on the right hand side providing the pilot with a view to what was going on. IMHO
In a helicopter of that size the positioning of the pilot would have minimal effect on the lateral CG
or, on the propeller effect of the tail rotor.
In a helicopter of that size the positioning of the pilot would have minimal effect on the lateral CG
or, on the propeller effect of the tail rotor.
Joined: Nov 2000
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From: Sunrise, Fl. U.S.A.
Some like to say that since we like to avoid the flow of fixed wing (plank) traffic,
and most traffic is left handed patterns (circuits for my UK bro's/sisters)
that having us on the right side makes it easier to see-and-avoid.
Of course I'm interested in your answer to Coyote's response
We don't like to be different, we are different hehehe ....
and most traffic is left handed patterns (circuits for my UK bro's/sisters)
that having us on the right side makes it easier to see-and-avoid.
Of course I'm interested in your answer to Coyote's response
We don't like to be different, we are different hehehe ....
Joined: Jul 1999
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From: Warrington, UK
Grainger, your theory in your first post doesn't hold up when applied to French designed aircraft. Their rotors go the opposite way so they sit right skid low.
I tend to go for the theory that we sit on the right so we can operate radios etc with the left hand. This is easier than sitting on the left and having to swap hands on the cyclic and fly with the left hand, which in helicopters without stabilisation is not easy, and certainly not very ergonomic.
I tend to go for the theory that we sit on the right so we can operate radios etc with the left hand. This is easier than sitting on the left and having to swap hands on the cyclic and fly with the left hand, which in helicopters without stabilisation is not easy, and certainly not very ergonomic.
Joined: Feb 2001
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From: the other America
Personally I prefer the H300 & H500 types with the PIC on the LHS.
It means as I cruise the neighbourhood I can keep the cyclic in hand while hanging my arm out the window
Once a lad................
cheers & flysafe
Hone
It means as I cruise the neighbourhood I can keep the cyclic in hand while hanging my arm out the window
Once a lad................
cheers & flysafe
Hone
The Original Whirly
Joined: Feb 1999
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 4,327
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From: Belper, Derbyshire, UK
I remember posting this same question some months ago. Someone at that time said that when helicopters first came along, the first people to fly them were f/w pilots, so they sat in the left seat and their students sat on the right. So the first large group of heli pilots got used to sitting on the right, and carried on. People also mentioned not having to climb over the collective when you got in, and a whole host of other reasons, including the fact that some helis are flown from the left or the middle. Seems like the real reason, if there is one, is lost in the history of helicopter flying.