Why We board Planes From The left Hand Side.

[Geoff S]

I'm right-handed but since 1990 I've had to use my left hand a lot more because of a spinal injury. I started aeromodelling after my accident (in fact as a result of it) but I've never been 'handed' as regards circuits or landing direction.

Most (all?) sports that involve going round an oval(ish) circuit are left-handed for some reason (speedway, grass track, athletics, cycle track) though sidecar grass track is right-handed with the sidecar on the left. As a child I always scooted with my left foot with my right on the foot-board so rather like motor cycle grass track or speedway - left foot down to start the sliding turn.

Geoff

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Due to the prevailing wind direction (North Westerly) and the alignment of our strip most landing circuits for us are right handed - as is the "circuit of the day" of course. So our pilots learn to fly right handed circuits early!

Actually in all other respects the left hand circuit is easier at our field. There is a tree line that runs along the crosswind leg on the right hand circuit - quite close in - so you usually have to fly the crosswind parallel to and just in front of those trees. When you then turn onto finals you have quite short approach - which is why you can't really fly much above the cross wind trees as you would be too high on finals for the distance available. It's possible to get in from that height with flaps, but not really without, so you have to stay low and the last turn is probably done at about 20-25 feet altitude.

If on the odd occasion the wind is Easterly and so we can fly left hand circuits the approach can be much easier as without the trees you can take a long finals. But the funny thing is that, having perfected the short approach, most of us still fly it - even from the left. If I fly at another club people often comment on how short my approach lines are!

So I have never experienced "handedness" with regard to approaches - but I did have the problem with rolls when I was starting out doing basic aeros. I always preferred to roll to the right - it took a lot of disciplined practice for me to learn to be as comfortable rolling left as right. Similarly I used to prefer to stall turn to the right - again much effort went into making myself practice left hand stall turns!

Funny isn't it - the preferences we all have?

BEB

[J D 8]

I have three farm tractors of different makes,one is push forward for power,one is pull back and the other is lift up ! [ I find that one a bit awkward ]

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

40 odd years ago when i was learning, i belonged to a club where a lot of pilots flew left handers no matter what the conditions, some even flew circuits around themselves (control line style). you get into the same habit yourself if you're not careful.

Visited another club and wind dictated right hand circuits, uncomfortable day. So back at my club I flew 8's n right hand circuits to get it out my system, you wouldn't believe the rows we had.

[Martin McIntosh]

MH, I also codged the throttle cable to the front brake lever on a BSA C15 when it broke. Worked great, and this was on the road for quite a while due to lack of money. Front brake did not work anyway. The silly things we do when we have to.

[David P Williams]

I used to be in a club where there were several 'senior' members who had all taught themselves to fly at the club's previous location, control line style, flying round themselves.

They all refused to take the A cert, which was now mandatory for flying solo at the club, all insisting that as they were founder members of the club (and Chairman/President/whatever) and had been flying for years, no-one could teach or tell them anything.

Two or three of them were incapable of landing unless the model was approaching from their right. On days when the circuit direction was left hand and it was time to land, they just strolled across to the other side of the patch. No announcement, no comment, scared the heck out of everyone else.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Posted by David P Williams on 03/12/2017 19:16:25:

I used to be in a club where there were several 'senior' members who had all taught themselves to fly at the club's previous location, control line style, flying round themselves.

They all refused to take the A cert, which was now mandatory for flying solo at the club, all insisting that as they were founder members of the club (and Chairman/President/whatever) and had been flying for years, no-one could teach or tell them anything.

Two or three of them were incapable of landing unless the model was approaching from their right. On days when the circuit direction was left hand and it was time to land, they just strolled across to the other side of the patch. No announcement, no comment, scared the heck out of everyone else.

Musta been in same club.

After god knows how many rows they sent me for Examiners test, because our landlord tightened up the terms of use, never owned a car in them days either.

[Martin McIntosh]

In my old club when I was really just learning to fly propo gear, the normal approach was to fly a circuit round behind yourself and land from the right; everyone did it. I later became an unofficial examiner for the club, before SMAE (BMFA) tests were introduced and insisted that all flying should be done in front of the candidate. Did that sort out the men from the boys, with many failing. Later, when I started to enter F3A, you were allowed to fly past and perform a maneouvre in your preferred direction so I always rolled right, from left to right. With lots of practice I now manage most things in either direction but still have to tell myself in advance which way to operate the rudder in point rolls to the left.

And another thing. Why did the Japs put both motorcycle brakes on the same side? I nearly fell off the first time I tried it. Should be right hand, left foot the same as riding a horse.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Good question. Strangely, when I was riding a variety of bikes, I could swap between left/right rear brake without conscious thought.

The one that I've always found odd - but where the Japanese have it right (maybe had? - I haven't driven a Japanese car for many years), is locating the indicator stalk on the right side of the steering wheel, as it was for many years before the EU standardisation to the left. Having the ability to change gears and operate the handbrake while signalling seems a lot better than adopting the European convention (itself perfectly logical for driving on the right hand side of the road).