Why is the captain of a helicopter seated on the righthand (starboard) side? In a airplane, the captain is seated on the lefthand (port) side. I have read the reasons why it is so on a airplane, but never found out why it's different with helicopters.
2007-02-27 09:11:29 · 6 answers · asked by wonderwhy 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
Because in a helicopter the Collective (the flight control responsible for changing the angle of attack of the rotors) is situated in the centre console and operated by the pilots left hand allowing his right hand to operate the stick.
I do know left handed pilots who operate a helicopter from the left seat, so they have the collective in their right hand - but generally the captains seat is on the right because more pilots are right handed and favour that side and having the collective (a less sensitive control than the stick) in their left hand.
Most helicopters are not fitted with dual collectives for dual control, thus the right hand seat becomes the seat of choice for a right handed captain.
In an airplane all the flight controls are on the yoke/stick and rudder pedals (a plane does not use the collective axis) and therefore it doesn't matter which hand you favour or on which side of the cockpit you sit. However the left hand seat is favoured by right handed captains again because of the physical position of the throttle levers.
Most pilots prefer to hold the yoke with their left hand while having more feel for advancing and retarding the throttles with their right hand.
So its all about the physical positioning of controls in the vehicle and the 'handedness' of the pilot.
To Lofty:
SAR Helicopters operate off the port side (left)of the carriers because then their view of deck launches and recovery is not obscured either by the island or by parked aircraft. It's nothing to do with the orientation of the controls or the pilot in the helicopter and not the 'reason' for the choice of captains seat in the chopper.
2007-02-27 20:28:31 · answer #1 · answered by BOB 3 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Depending on helicopter type, the main rotor may be either starboard leading or port leading in direction. Similarly the tail rotor may be on either side. So this has nothing directly to do with the position of the aircraft captain.
There is an anecdote that the original training pilots from Sikorsky preferred to sit on the left of the aircraft, and so their trainees learned to fly from the right hand seat. However I believe the answer is much simpler. The cyclic control needs to be held on to at all times (autopilot modes excluded), whereas the collective generally has a friction lock and so it is that hand that is used to operate such things as radios, nav receivers. As most pilots are right handed the preference was for the right hand seat.
Equipment numbering still follows the convention of No1 being on the left of the aircraft, and so most of the captain's instruments paradoxically are the No2 instruments.
2007-03-04 09:10:47 · answer #2 · answered by waspy772004 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
From a military point of view, the captain always sat in the right hand seat when flying safety guard during aircraft carrier flying.
The helo used to fly on the lefthand side of the carrier during flight deck use so the right hand seat had full view of the flight deck and surrounding water.
If there was a problem, the helo could quickly come to the aid of any dunked fixed wing operators without the carrier having to stop or turn.
The practice seems to have become commonplace for other helo operations.
2007-03-05 09:05:16 · answer #3 · answered by rookethorne 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is generally the lowest point of the rotor disc, so it gives the pilot the best visibility for rotor clearance.
I prefer to fly from the left side if I'm doing external load work (better visibility and finesse on the collective), but if I'm only transporting passengers and/or cargo, it's easier from the right. Everything is set up for the right side, because your left hand is the only one that can be off the controls for any length of time. The cyclic (right hand) cannot be released without losing control of the aircraft fairly quickly. Some guys can fly for a short time with it between their knees, but I've never developed that skill.
2007-02-27 18:05:17 · answer #4 · answered by lowflyer1 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Depending on the helicopter you can fly from either seat.
And here is an article on Helicopter Seating Arrangements
http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/helicopters/q0072.shtml
2007-02-27 18:11:08 · answer #5 · answered by Atllas 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Rotor rotation direction and tail rotor visibility.
2007-02-27 17:18:40 · answer #6 · answered by yes_its_me 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋