Most automobile drivers in the U.K. occupy the right seat. I'm wondering if light aircraft pilots in the U.K. fly from the right seat.

Not any?
Some?
Most?

All airplanes are designed to be flown from the left seat. I’m not an expert but nearly all helicopters are designed to be flown from the right. And fighters, in the middle, cause they gotta be different. I’m sure there are exceptions in every category, but those are the general rules.

Most modern tanks have the driver in the center of the hull and the commander in the right of the turret.

Although I don't think tanks care which side of the road they drive on...

quote:

Originally posted by mbinky:
Most modern tanks have the driver in the center of the hull and the commander in the right of the turret.

Although I don't think tanks care which side of the road they drive on...

Other vehicles might though.........

The U.K. only allows dyslexic pilots.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
Most automobile drivers in the U.K. occupy the right seat. I'm wondering if light aircraft pilots in the U.K. fly from the right seat.

Not any?
Some?
Most?

Most airplanes that I have flown, can be flown from either seat. As a flight instructor, I spend much more time in the right seat than I do in the left.

The fixed-wing PIC generally flies from the left seat in the UK (and everywhere else as far as I know). What is a little different on that side of the pond is that many (most?) engines designed over there spin the opposite direction, requiring left rudder to deal with P-factor on takeoff. This is a little different for pilots of US engined aircraft, who are used to needing right rudder on takeoff.

Interesting, I learned the other day that contract helo fire attack pilots typically fly from the left seat to be better able to keep an eye on their line and basket as they fly single pilot. Agency pilots typically fly from the right seat with a crew chief in the left.
The privately owned airport where I learned to fly, Santa Paula, shutdown temporarily and was made available as a Heli attack base for the Thomas Fire. A friend based there got some interesting images: https://lightroom.adobe.com/sh...4da49c5869fe18333414

Not a pilot but I noticed a lot of those RAF guys tip a pint with their left...

The left seat is the command seat in transport category in the UK, as with all other places around the world. As others noted, helicopters are generally flown from the right save for vertical reference (long line) work, when it's easier to lean left to look down as one has to work the collective control and throttle with the left hand.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
Most automobile drivers in the U.K. occupy the right seat. I'm wondering if light aircraft pilots in the U.K. fly from the right seat.

Not any?
Some?
Most?

Don't forget to ask about all the other countries where vehicle drivers sit on the right - that's Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, most of the former British Caribbean and most of sub-Saharan Africa and India and Pakistan as well as Bangladesh, Sri-Lanka, Singapore, Japan and heck, everywhere the British Empire was or had influence [like Japan, where the Brits built the first railways and their first blue water navy].

tac

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tacfoley,

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
Most automobile drivers in the U.K. occupy the right seat. I'm wondering if light aircraft pilots in the U.K. fly from the right seat.

Not any?
Some?
Most?

Don't forget to ask about all the other countries where vehicle drivers sit on the right - that's Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, most of the former British Caribbean and most of sub-Saharan Africa and India and Pakistan as well as Bangladesh, Sri-Lanka, Singapore and heck, everywhere the British Empire was.

tac

Japan too.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:Japan too.

Thanks for the reminder. I should have remembered that, having lived there for over seven years....

The Brits built the first railway in Japan, made to the so-called Cape Gauge of 3ft 6in to take into account the often tortuous routes necessary in such a mountainous country. AND the first blue-water Japanese naval vessels.

tac

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:Japan too.

Thanks for the reminder. I should have remembered that, having lived there for over seven years....

The Brits built the first railway in Japan, made to the so-called Cape Gauge of 3ft 6in to take into account the often tortuous routes necessary in such a mountainous country. AND the first blue-water Japanese naval vessels.

tac

Slight thread drift:

Four years for us, we loved the assignment and the Japanese people were great. We lived off post, I worked at an Army ammo depot near Kure (a city few have heard of), about 20 miles south of Hiroshima.

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
Most automobile drivers in the U.K. occupy the right seat. I'm wondering if light aircraft pilots in the U.K. fly from the right seat.

Not any?
Some?
Most?

Don't forget to ask about all the other countries where vehicle drivers sit on the right - that's Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, most of the former British Caribbean and most of sub-Saharan Africa and India and Pakistan as well as Bangladesh, Sri-Lanka, Singapore, Japan and heck, everywhere the British Empire was or had influence [like Japan, where the Brits built the first railways and their first blue water navy].

tac

I've lived in, worked in, and flown out of most of those; no change for pilots.

I worked on St. Croix, US Virgin Is, in 72. Former Brit Colony. Drove on left side. Awkward because cars were all standard US cars with driver on left. If you wanted to pass, had to trust passenger’s vision and judgement.

Wonder if they’ve switched since then?

quote:

Originally posted by maxdog:
I worked on St. Croix, US Virgin Is, in 72. Former Brit Colony. Drove on left side. Awkward because cars were all standard US cars with driver on left. If you wanted to pass, had to trust passenger’s vision and judgement.

Wonder if they’ve switched since then?

I was told that when the U.S. Virgin Islands tried to switch to driving on the right, it was a very short-lived experiment.

Drivers did not have a problem with it, but back then the local farmers used donkeys to haul produce to market. The donkeys, having used the left side of the road for their whole lives, refused to change.

The donkeys in the USVI refused to change to the right? Sounds like stubborn liberal leftist legislators otherwise known as leftist asses.

Re: "I was told that when the U.S. Virgin Islands tried to switch to driving on the right, it was a very short-lived experiment.

Drivers did not have a problem with it, but back then the local farmers used donkeys to haul produce to market. The donkeys, having used the left side of the road for their whole lives, refused."

V-Tail – That was funny!