Aircraft Seat Why (in fixed wing aircraft) is the pilot seat on the left?
Once, in a discussion of aviation trivia, it was brought up that the pilots seat is on the left for a reason... it was said that it was linked to 'left turn tendency' but I had to leave before the explanation was given...anyone here know the connection?
Wow, there are some creative answers there, some are partly correct.
The reason pilots (at least the Captain or PIC) sit on the left side has to do with original 2-seat single-engine prop-driven planes, and Newton's third law which states that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.
In most original aircraft engine designs, the aircraft propellor rotated to counterclockwise when viewed from the pilot's seat. Mr. Newton says that when you apply power, the aircraft will rotate along its longitudinal axis clockwise, or to the right. Therefore, if the pilot occupies the left seat when s/he is flying by him/herself, then that slight change in the lateral Center of Gravity will help compensate for the prop torque. So the left seat PIC position has been standard practice since the 1930's, even though more modern props turn clockwise.
On multi-engine planes and all large jets, there is no torque effect, and both pilot positions have equal controls, instrumentation and visibility. It is just a custom that the PIC sits on the left. There is certainly no advantage in flying one side or the other.
As for single-pilot helicopters, some types can only be flown from the L (eg, civilian Hughes 500), other types only from the R (eg, Bell 206, most Astars, A109), and other types can be flown from either side (EC120, Bell 212). This has to do with the lateral center of gravity and dissymmetry of lift from the rotating wing. I personally prefer to fly a helicopter from the R seat for normal operations (even though I flew 767's from the L seat for 22 years) because the cyclic is normally operated by your R hand, and that makes it easier to work radios and navigation systems with your left hand. When it comes to long lining, I have no preference L vs R, as long as the pilot's seat is close enough to the edge of the aircraft so you can see the load.
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles Founded by Richard Van VanGrunsven in 1973, Vans Aircraft is a homebuilt aircraft kit manufacturer. Vans RV series of aircraft, from the single seat RV3 to the latest RV12, are allaluminum, lowwing monoplanes of monocoque construction. All, except the RV3, RV4 and RV10 are available in both tricycle and taildragger configurations. All tricycle gear model designations except the RV10 carry an A at the end (e.g., RV6A). All RVs are aerobatic, with the exception of the RV9 and RV10 Author: Surhone, Lambert M./ Tennoe, Mariam T./ Henssonow, Susan F. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 88 Publication Date: 2010/08/22 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.21 inches
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