Guernsey Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I have flown a Piper Cub (tandem seating) from both the front and back seats with a passenger in the other seat, in a dual control aircraft (side by side) can the pilot in charge fly from the right hand seat with a passenger in the left hand seat. I am not refering to an instructor as PIC in this instant. I knew a pilot who always flew from the right hand seat because he could not get used to flying with the control stick in his left hand. Alan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 If all the controls are able to be accessed I cannot see why not. Some tandem seat planes are flown from a particular seat usually for balance considerations. I have flown a Gazelle and a Skyranger solo from thr RHS. The Cubs were flown from the rear in the earlier versions and from the front with the Super Cubs. . Left seat for command is the common thing but some helicopters are flown from the rh Seat. Robinson? Vision is better for left circuits , from the left seat. ( but you still do right circuits when needed). Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza 38 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Im with Nev, I dont think it matters what seat you sit in. As mentioned by Nev most choppers the PIC flys from the RH seat apart from small minority. A example is the Hughes 500.Its PIC seat is the LH seat. Maybe Tex can tell us why as he has a chopper licence. Back to the which seat.I have seen a couple of guys over the years fly from the rh seat purely because thay like to fly with their right hand on the stick and the left hand on the centre throttle. There maybe some stupid rule that says you are not supposed to do that.I dunno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thirsty Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I don't believe there is any restriction though there was a thread on this a while back and most suggest against doing it unless there is a very good reason. In helicopters the pic sits in the rh seat probably due to the fact you can't really let go the cyclic stick so need to use the left hand to operate radios etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandit12 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 ....snip...I have seen a couple of guys over the years fly from the rh seat purely because thay like to fly with their right hand on the stick and the left hand on the centre throttle. Off topic, but I have never found much difficulty changing from left or right hand stick and throttle. But I do find it much more awkward flying from the right hand seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza 38 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Off topic, but I have never found much difficulty changing from left or right hand stick and throttle. But I do find it much more awkward flying from the right hand seat. I agree mate. I always fly in the LH seat. Left handed.When I fly a tandem, it was Rh stick left throttle. I never found it difficult to swap.Actually I have never given it much thought.A few second conversion. (im right handed). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayavner Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 probably because its easier to do the standard left hand circuits from the left seat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motzartmerv Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 If there's no specification in the flight manual about the left seat being the control seat, and you can reach all the controls, then its legal. Maybe sometimes not recommended, but legal. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth lacey Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I fly right hand seat much more comfortable for me left circuits no problem ,just suits me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Howard Hughes Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 In a lot of piston (GA) aircraft, the magneto switches are located on the far left, not advisable to be flying from the right in this situation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyfox1 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Most aircraft have the flight instruments on the left and engine gauges on the right visually it would be better on the left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djpacro Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I have flown a Piper Cub (tandem seating).... I saw a Cub with a placard stating "must be flown from inside only". 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyfox1 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 l wanted to fly my drifter from the back so l could fly in the rain but l couldn't reach the on switch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboplanner Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 If there's no specification in the flight manual about the left seat being the control seat, and you can reach all the controls, then its legal. Maybe sometimes not recommended, but legal. ....and you can reach, and see,....... As the cabin gets wider there can be parallax and masking. My recent experience being thrown in to do a C172 landing from the RH seat by surprise might have given me better vision if I'd had a couple more seconds to acclimatise, but I think you might have to stretch the neck a fair bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guernsey Posted September 7, 2012 Author Share Posted September 7, 2012 l wanted to fly my drifter from the back so l could fly in the rain but l couldn't reach the on switch. In my L4 Piper Cub I had to fly from the back seat when not having a passenger (C of G etc ) so I could not reach any switches so I guess that if a prang was imminent I could have released my seat harness so that I would, on impact, finish up in the front seat, I would then be able to reach the switches. Alan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I fly the J3 from the back seat, can't see a thing when you have a passenger, but at least they can do the switches for you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nunans Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Im with Nev, I dont think it matters what seat you sit in. As mentioned by Nev most choppers the PIC flys from the RH seat apart from small minority. A example is the Hughes 500.Its PIC seat is the LH seat. Maybe Tex can tell us why as he has a chopper licence. Back to the which seat.I have seen a couple of guys over the years fly from the rh seat purely because thay like to fly with their right hand on the stick and the left hand on the centre throttle. There maybe some stupid rule that says you are not supposed to do that.I dunno. I'm no chopper pilot but isn't it to do with the direction of rotation of the main rotor? and subsequently which way the heli tilts to stay in a stable hover ie. left seat high or right seat high? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herm Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I can't see why not! I have had people try to drive my car from the back seat LOL... Great photo of the Cub.. Who the heck is that rough looking bloke leaning against it? Dosn't look anything like my Father at all. That bloke looks like he just flew out of the jungle with Sylvester Stallone... Mardy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Compulsion Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Hi Mardy. Sunday is looking great. Why not follow me around for 200nm. A friend will be PIC inmy aircraft for the trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M61A1 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I'm no chopper pilot but isn't it to do with the direction of rotation of the main rotor? and subsequently which way the heli tilts to stay in a stable hover ie. left seat high or right seat high? If you search the net, there a few theories as to why helicopters are flown from the right seat. One of them is that the original test pilots flew from the left, so when teach a new pilot they put them in the right seat so that they could remain instinctive with a student. Some heli-loggers fly from the left, so they can lean out the door to see and still use the collective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza 38 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I'm no chopper pilot but isn't it to do with the direction of rotation of the main rotor? and subsequently which way the heli tilts to stay in a stable hover ie. left seat high or right seat high? It could be.I dont know .I was thinking, Rh seat because most peeps are Right handed and chopper pilots can let go of the colective stick to flick switches with their left hand but the cyclic stick has to be held on to unless auto pilot is used. A mate of mine in the RAAF got his CPL at Chopperline, this was back in the nineties. He told me that right handers had to write with their left hands.The colective hand.Apart from what I have said. I honestly have no idea.Sounds to complicated for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaz3g Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I saw a Cub with a placard stating "must be flown from inside only". My Auster has a placard stating that the NOSEWHEEL LOCK MUST BE REMOVED BEFORE FLIGHT Kaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 That obviously doesn't belong to an Auster. Amazing how many aircraft have taken off with control locks and U/C locks still installed. Usually doesn't get done twice. Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Guys this left / right thing was discussed in a recent thread. It was spelt out in the Ops Managers column in the magazine quite some time ago that if the aircraft was designed to be flown from the left seat that is where the PIC must be unless an instructor. This is regardless of whether you can reach / see everything. I had cause to question this as at the time I was doing demo flights with people for aircraft sales and wanted to put the potential buyer in the left seat where they would be more comfortable. I had spent time with a CFI getting familiar & then a few hours solo in the right to get really comfortable. The answer from the Ops manager was still a firm no. While doing the sales thing I did have one guy enquire about the possibilty of making a panel with all the flight instruments on the right side because he only flew from that side. He had been flying a homebuilt that he had configured that way too. Don't know how the Ops Manager would have viewed that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trevorp Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I thought helo's are flown from RH because they turn mainly right due to centrifical force, it being easier to turn right. The same reason why a single prop plane turns left. Better view from LH seat to turn left, helo's do RH circuits better view to turn right. As for legalites i was told if you are able to access primary controlls and view gauges you can fly RH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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