why fly on the left

[d2hpeter]

is it a rule or personal preference?
new to flying [sim] and intending to take Private Pilot cert.
Notice so far that all fly on the left, even the default position in fsx is left.
Do we have to use the left hand to control the stick? so that it would be easier to use the right hand to access other controls?
What are the advantages of flying on the left side?

[DaveSims]

Almost all aircraft are setup with the main controls on the left side.  If you notice in the Cessna, almost every gauge and switch is located to be operated from the left side.  There are exceptions, especially in helicopters which are often flown from the right side, but almost all aircraft are designed to be flown from the left seat.  Its just common practice.

[d2hpeter]

so would it be better to use our left hand to control the stick, leaving the right hand to access other controls?
It would be a bit awkward vice-versa using the right hand on the stick and left hand cross-over to reach other controls?

[Ghostrider114]

it does seem a bit awkward, doesn't it, I suppose it's probably just because cars are driven from the left seat (in the US).  what seems really weird to me is that almost every stick I've owned has been ergonomically designed to be operated with the right hand.  Although now that I think about it, most single/tandem-seat planes that I've seen have a center or right hand side stick and a left hand throttle, so that's not so unusual for a stick is it? :-?

[Hagar]

I've seen various reasons suggested for this, none of which is too convincing. Most of the early aircraft had the pilot's seat in the centre so the question did not arise. Control layouts were a matter of preference by the various aircraft designers & a standard layout was not adopted for many years after the first powered flight. (Throttles on French & Polish aircraft worked in the reverse direction to aircraft from other countries well into the 1940s.) WWI was a big influence on aircraft design & this is when many practices which are now regarded as standard were adopted. Most of these developments took place in Europe & the US lagged behind until the early 1920s.

To find a satisfactory answer I think you need to go back to when side-by-side seating was first introduced. I'm not sure which was the first aircraft to use this layout but the Vickers Vimy (which just after the end of WWI would be the first aircraft to fly the Atlantic) had the pilot's controls on the right. The similar German Gotha bomber had the pilot's seat on the left. This made it inevitable that an international standard would be desirable to avoid accidents.

I'm not sure just who was responsible for international aviation law at the time but most of these international bodies were (& still are) based in France where motor vehicles are driven on the right-hand side of the road from the left-hand seat. [url=http://www.fai.org/about/history]F

[DaveSims]

so would it be better to use our left hand to control the stick, leaving the right hand to access other controls?
It would be a bit awkward vice-versa using the right hand on the stick and left hand cross-over to reach other controls?

It all depends, are you talking about flying in sim, or a real aircraft.  When simming, I have a flight stick, so right hand is the natural way of using it.  However when I fly the regular Piper or Cessna, then I use the left hand on the yoke and right on the thottle.  Now there are aircraft, single or tandem seat aircraft, that will have a center stick and a left hand throttle.  In my opinion, it is pretty easy to go back and forth, so I wouldn't be too worried about which hand I'm using.

[d2hpeter]

so would it be better to use our left hand to control the stick, leaving the right hand to access other controls?
It would be a bit awkward vice-versa using the right hand on the stick and left hand cross-over to reach other controls?

It all depends, are you talking about flying in sim, or a real aircraft.

[olderndirt]

Maybe there's some of that right handed - left handed thing involved.  The majority are right-handed and, when given a choice prefer things going left and even in a tandem aircraft, with the centered stick and left hand throttle left turns always 'felt' smoother than right.

[C]

[quote]Maybe there's some of that right handed - left handed thing involved.

[Hagar]

[quote]Maybe there's some of that right handed - left handed thing involved.

[d2hpeter]

thank you Sir.

btw, I am right-handed but i actually switched to my left hand on the mouse of a computer with right hand on the keyboard. It is quite fun actually, to be able to use both hands to do things. Just need some time to re-wire the brain.

[Splinter562]

As you add to your real world flight experience, you will end up flying from the left seat, from the right seat, in aircraft with yokes, and in aircraft with sticks. What you will quickly find is that you easily learn to fly ambidextrously, to the point where you don't even notice it.

The only clear benefit I can see to flying with the left hand is that, if you are right handed, you can write without taking your hand off the yoke.