Posted on 05/16/2021 6:14:18 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
The fact that the left-hand seat of a two-person cockpit is reserved for the aircraft’s captain dates back to the decades before the advent of jet-powered engines. According to Ask Captain Lim, this tendency came about due to the nature of early rotary-driven aircraft, such as fighter aircraft from the First World War.
Specifically, it was easier for these aircraft to turn to the left as this allowed them to follow the torque of their engines. Their left-turning torque functioned in this way because most aircraft propellers at the time span clockwise. Contrastingly, right turns required early pilots to counteract this force, demanding stronger control and rudder inputs.
(Excerpt) Read more at simpleflying.com ...
Soon most planes will be flown by computer and have no human pilots at all.
I always assumed it was bc Americans drivers sit left and Americans built must modern aircraft and set the standards.
But the point regarding turning left is true on most any prop plane.
Sooner than you think.
I suspect I am in the last generation of manned fighter aircraft.
You can do so much more without all that stuff used to keep a meat bag alive.
Ever try flying a plane from the right seat? If so, you know the answer to the question.
It’s interesting why English and Euros go on the other side. John Heitmann, America’s auto historian, says that it stemmed from medieval times when the right hand was preferred to handle the sword. Only after stirrups did the right side become the shield side & the left side the sword side. By then, wagon drivers had learned to use the left side.
But in America, teams were led by the front left horse, so the teamsters moved to the left side of the wagon.
Your wife? Smile.
Thank you for posting this, it makes perfect sense.
I think that is but one of many reasons.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-_and_right-hand_traffic
Nor human passengers.
“Soon most planes will be flown by computer and have no human pilots at all.”
I see this eventually happening ... but definitely not soon.
When taking the active runway in a single-engine plane, position and hold, one normally aims the fuselage slightly to the right.
The pilot is anticipating the effects of P-factor. In the 5-10 seconds after full takoff power applied, the aircraft naturally shifts to align straight down the runway.
As a left handed person who drives a stick I can tell you for right handed folks right side drive makes way more sense. Our alignment is great for me. I have my good hand on the steering wheel. Also my good hand near the window for mailboxes, and drive thrus. Really right handed people should be clamoring to switch cars to the British way. And I’m glad they’re not.
It is not the torque factor that prop aircraft turn easier to the left, its the P-factor of the props. That is why the left engine is the critical engine on a propeller driven twin.
I was under the impression that for most large craft, the computer did most of the flying now. A complete auto pilot for cargo seems reasonable…as long as they are not landing in/near cities.
I would have guessed that the preponderance of pilots are right hand dominant, and since the throttle, trim and flap controls were in the center console, between the pilot and co-pilot, the dominant right hand was more convenient.
In the T-28B/C with the R-1820 engine (1425hp), on touch-and-go landings, the P-factor was so strong that my right leg would quiver working to overcome it. On an early flight, I began to add a little right trim. My flight instructor asked what I was doing and I said,
“The right rudder input is so strong that I’m trying to even things up, sir.”
“So, what happens when the engine quits? Now you have just as strong a LEFT rudder input, plus you’re trying to find a place to do a dead stick landing?”
“Ooops!”
—”Your wife?”
Once after moving to a new house, I noticed her going the wrong direction to visit a friend?
Not exactly wrong she explained, because it was all right-hand turns the entire route.
NONSENSE!
I am a SEL-IFR rated pilot (albeit inactive). I flew mostly PA-28s but I have flown a J-3. I never noticed a difference of difficulty in the direction of a turn. (Lots of 60 degree bank turns on the way to getting that first ticket!)
ML/NJ
My first and last observation about this thread is…who gives a crap as long as the plane makes it safely to its destination.
Most American radial piston engines rotated counterclockwise as seen from the front. But it was somewhat arbitrary the direction. During the war some multiengined aircraft had counter- rotating engines that effectively nullified the effect of torque.
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