I notice all videos I've seen show airliners being flown from the left hand seat. I would of thought pilots that are from right hand drive countries would prefer to pilot the plane from the right hand F/O seat.

 

Is there a reason the captain doesn't use the right hand seat instead?

chopper pilots do it on the right

I am from a left seat drive (car) country, but fly helicopters from the right hand seat. No problems. You will get used to anything. ^_^

I notice all videos I've seen show airliners being flown from the left hand seat. I would of thought pilots that are from right hand drive countries would prefer to pilot the plane from the right hand F/O seat.

 

Is there a reason the captain doesn't use the right hand seat instead?

 

In the Mooney, warrior, 172 or Cardinal I wouldn't want to crane my head left all the time to see the gauges. Standard traffic pattern is left and thus sitting left lets you see easier....

I found this explanation to be the most thorough:

 

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061002041817AANaFS2

 

Alan :smile:

In a small aircraft, as people have mentioned, left hand patterns are standard and as such the gauges are fitted on the left. Therefore it makes more sense for the pilot to sit where he can see the gauges. In an airliner, where the gauges are repeated on both sides, the only thing I can think of off the top of my head is the steering tiler, which is only on the left, which the captain usually operates. Perhaps there's more reason than that, however?

You can have steering tillers on the right side as well.

 

I belive the main reason for having the captain flying from the left seat is because of how the rules of the air are (of course, it will be the story of the hen and the egg, which came first).

 

For example, when meeting opposite direction traffic, both aircraft should turn to the right and maintain separation. That way the other traffic will be on the aircraft's left side. That makes it good sense to have the pilot on the left side where he can see the other plane better.

We drive on the left side of the road in Ireland and then I fly in the left seat, no both to me. It was a bit odd at the start when I became Captain working the gears in the car with the left hand, but the Thrust Levers in the airplane with my right, just a thing you get used to I guess, but I don't treat driving and flying with any great similarity.

 

Now switching to flying in the right hand seat can be a bit tricky, but still more than manageable, though I know there's been a few cases of late where pilots at other airlines while performing a balked landing procedure have slammed the sidesticks forward and brought the thrust back momentarily before correcting their mistake by accident because they were flying in the opposite seat to what they're used to. I think it was an easyJet at Luton IIRC?

 

Now driving on the right hand side of the road when I go on holiday in France is a whole other story, feels very clumsy with a gear stick in my right hand... :wacko:

 

Regards,

Ró.

You can have steering tillers on the right side as well.

 

I belive the main reason for having the captain flying from the left seat is because of how the rules of the air are (of course, it will be the story of the hen and the egg, which came first).

 

For example, when meeting opposite direction traffic, both aircraft should turn to the right and maintain separation. That way the other traffic will be on the aircraft's left side. That makes it good sense to have the pilot on the left side where he can see the other plane better.

 

Dunno. I think that explanation would more argue for PIC on the right side. AFAIK the air rules are just derived from nautical rules. In a crossing situation you have to "look right" and if you see something you have to change course as needed to avoid risk of colision, generally by turning to the right. Same in the meeting situation you describe. Since you have to turn right, you have to look right to ensure you can make the turn safely. At least in the USN in my day, the Captain's chair was always on the right and the Executive Officer's on the left. Of course on a ship you can just walk to either side as needed for better visibility.

 

The question I have is when did side-by-side seating for aircraft first appear?

 

scott s.

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Now driving on the right hand side of the road when I go on holiday in France is a whole other story, feels very clumsy with a gear stick in my right hand... :wacko:

 

On my first time driving in France, I went to change gear and nearly opened the door...

 

H

On my first time driving in France, I went to change gear and nearly opened the door...

 

H

My wife and I had at one stage developed an excellent system where she'd change the gears for me LOL... Eventually I came to learn how to drive with them on the wrong side though LOL...

Since you have to turn right, you have to look right to ensure you can make the turn safely.

 

You have a point there. Well, I am really just guessing as to why the standard has become PIC on the left.

 

On my first time driving in France, I went to change gear and nearly opened the door...

 

:lol:

 

Btw, is the nickname in any way related to the experience?

Could it simply be that most early two-seat aircraft were devweloped in counties that had left-hand drive on their roads and just followed that - some convention had to be adopted so why not that one?

Could be as simple as that

Origins go back as always to shipping, where the Captain would sit on the "Port" side of the ship (left for those not into aviation/maritime) so he could better control the docking of the boat, early planes were boats, so the Captain in this case also needed to be on the port side, tradition went from there.

 

Regards,

Ró.