Do chopper pilots sit in the right seat?
Jerry Bransford
Hello William,
Helicopter pilots sit in the right seat, co-pilots sit in the left seat.
This apparently has to do with the torque of the engine and the pilot's
weight being more beneficial if he's on the right side of the
helicopter.
Regards,
--
Jerry Bransford
PP-ASEL, KC6TAY, C.A.P.
The Zen hotdog... make me one with everything!
William Lorimer
I just saw the movie "Courage Under Fire" in which Meg Ryan plays an Army
Medevac pilot who is nominated posthumously for the Medal of Honor. I
thought it was a pretty good movie - I liked it anyway - but I realized
afterward that in all the flashback sequences she was depicted as sitting
in the right seat. Every fixed wing aircraft I know of, the pilot in
command sits in the left seat.
Is there a valid reason for this, or is it just another example of
Hollywood not letting the facts get in the way of a good camera angle?
TIA
--
WR Lorimer
"When a bomb starts talking about itself in the third person, I start to worry." Lieut. Tom Paris, Star Trek Voyager
(PGP Key 0xF95EC559 available fm server)
(Standard Disclaimer applies.)
Klaus P Kraemer
In <31F07F...@pacbell.net> Jerry Bransford <jer...@pacbell.net>
writes:
>Hello William,
>
>Helicopter pilots sit in the right seat, co-pilots sit in the left
seat.
>This apparently has to do with the torque of the engine and the
pilot's
>weight being more beneficial if he's on the right side of the
>helicopter.
>
I'm *only* a fixed-winger, but I used to work at a helicopter company
for a while.
The pilot's position has nothing to do with engine torque. Bell206
Jetranger, Sikorsky 58T, MD500 -- the main rotor always turns the same
way (clockwise, looking up from the cabin, or: rotor blade to the right
moves forward). Jetranger and Sikorsky are flown from the right seat,
but the MD500 pilot flies from the left seat.
Aerospatiale's AS350 (Astar): The main rotor turns in the opposite
direction, but the pilot flies from the right seat.
Klaus.
Walt Shiel
Yes, the PIC seat in a chopper is the right seat. Why? Damned if I
know, but those chopper pilots are all a little strange anyway...and walk
funny, too.
Walt
--
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Author: "Cessna Warbirds: A Detailed and Personal
History of Cessna's Involvement in the Armed Forces"
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Klaus P Kraemer
In <will.lorimer-1...@c6419.csd.canada.cdev.com>
will.l...@canada.cdev.com (William Lorimer) writes:
>
>I just saw the movie "Courage Under Fire" in which Meg Ryan plays an
Army
>Medevac pilot who is nominated posthumously for the Medal of Honor. I
>thought it was a pretty good movie - I liked it anyway - but I
realized
>afterward that in all the flashback sequences she was depicted as
sitting
>in the right seat. Every fixed wing aircraft I know of, the pilot in
>command sits in the left seat.
>
>Is there a valid reason for this, or is it just another example of
>Hollywood not letting the facts get in the way of a good camera angle?
>
>TIA
>
>--
>WR Lorimer
Depends. Even if dual controls are installed, the pilot flies from the
right seat -- mostly. The MD500 is usually flown from the left seat.
For the Sikorsky 58T, it must be flown from the right seat, because
some important controls/switches cannot be reached from the left seat,
unless you install a pretty extensive kit.
Klaus.
Theo Mennekes
Klaus P Kraemer wrote:
>
> In <31F07F...@pacbell.net> Jerry Bransford <jer...@pacbell.net>
> writes:
> >
> >Hello William,
> >
> >Helicopter pilots sit in the right seat, co-pilots sit in the left
> seat.
wrong
> >This apparently has to do with the torque of the engine and the
> pilot's
> >weight being more beneficial if he's on the right side of the
> >helicopter.
wrong
> >
>
> I'm *only* a fixed-winger, but I used to work at a helicopter company
> for a while.
>
> The pilot's position has nothing to do with engine torque. Bell206
> Jetranger, Sikorsky 58T, MD500 -- the main rotor always turns the same
> way (clockwise, looking up from the cabin, or: rotor blade to the right
> moves forward). Jetranger and Sikorsky are flown from the right seat,
> but the MD500 pilot flies from the left seat.
>
> Aerospatiale's AS350 (Astar): The main rotor turns in the opposite
> direction, but the pilot flies from the right seat.
>
> Klaus.
You're absolutely right, Klaus.
I used to fly a Hughes 300 (Pilot left seat, rotor clockwise)
and now I fly the Bell 206L (Pilot right seat, rotor also clockwise).
There is no general rule, it just depends on the manufacturer.
--
Ted, Germany
PP C425, C441, BH06
Scott Traurig
I'm no helicopter pilot, but as to why most helicopters are flown from the
right seat, my guess would be so that the left hand is free to adjust
controls, radios, etc. on the (mostly) center mounted instrument panel.
The reasoning behind this guess is that the cyclic control is held in the
right hand,the collective control is in the left hand, and you probably
never want to let go of the cyclic much, if at all.
-- Scott (PP-ASEL)
--
Scott Traurig
stra...@mailgw.sanders.lockheed.com
SDillon136
Chopper pilots are a strange bunch. They have never been ones to conform
to tradition and they are very distrustful of any one who does not have a
propeller on his beanie!
GordonFA
Bill,
All helicopters, no matter where the pilot sits, has two control sticks
operated by the pilot's hands. The cyclic stick is between the pilot's
legs and looks much like an airplane control. Simply put, this control
lets the pilot make the helicopter go forward, backward, left and right.
The other control is a stick to the pilot's left and, again very simply,
lets the pilot make the helicopter go up and down by pulling the stick up
or pushing it down.
As some have said in earlier posts, it depends on the helicopter. I would
say a majority of 'copters have the command pilot in the right seat. The
primary reason for this is to allow the pilot to use his left hand to tune
radios and operate other systems on the aircraft. The radio controls and
other system controls are normally located centrally between the two
pilots. The pilot's left hand controls the collective stick. Normally
the collective control can be positioned and released by the pilot to tune
radios, etc., and the helicopter's flight path will stay pretty much where
the pilot wants it. The pilot's right hand is used to control the cyclic
stick. Since the helicopter is contantly trying to diverge away from the
intended flight path, the pilot must constantly use the cyclic stick to
correct the path back to the desired path.
Sometimes other factors determine where the command pilot sits. The
military version of the Hughes (McDonnell Douglas) 500 had the pilot on
the right side. When Hughes entered the commercial market, they moved the
pilot to the left to get the collective stick out of the way of a third,
center passenger seat. Pilots who do long line work such as logging, like
to fly from the left because it is easier to lean left and look out the
window and keep good control of the helicopter. The cyclic requires the
most attention and it is easier to manipuate it with the right hand in a
more or less normal flying position. The left arm and hand is constrained
as the pilot leans over and looks outside the helicopter. But even so,
the simpler movements of the collective stick (up and down) can still be
precisely accomplished.
The helicopter in the movie to which you refer is a Bell "Huey," a UH-1 of
some version. The command pilot station is correctly shown on the right
side.
Hope this helps, Bill.
Gordon.
Will Outlaw
Thinking back to ground school (and not having an AIM handy at work)
don't rotary wing aircraft generally fly a pattern opposite that flown
by fixed wing aircraft? Or am I getting confused here, which is highly
likely.
If that's the case, having the pilot on the right side would make sense
since they'd be flying mostly right-hand patterns. Of course, then it
becomes a chicken-egg sort of thing. Did they start sitting over there
because of the pattern they typically flew or for some other reason and
the pattern they fly evolved out of that. (Of course, my theory is shot
to hell if they fly patterns like the rest of us)
No matter where you sit, it sure looks like it'd be a blast to fly one.
Will
(Serious lack of hand/eye/foot coordination coupled with poor memory
means I'll just stick to doing that fixed-wing thing. <grin>)
William Lorimer
To Jerry Bransford, Walt Shiel, and Klaus P Kraemer;
Thanks for the response. I guess the movie researchers did a better job
than I gave them credit for. (Although I'm still p***ed at them for not
knowing that a woman *has* been awarded the Medal of Honor :-)
--
WR Lorimer
Tom Fisher
Totally off base.
Klaus P Kraemer
In <will.lorimer-2...@c6419.csd.canada.cdev.com>
will.l...@canada.cdev.com (William Lorimer) writes:
>
>To Jerry Bransford, Walt Shiel, and Klaus P Kraemer;
>
>Thanks for the response.
Thanks, Will.
But I still believe that the only *right* seat is in the left seat of
an airplane <-:>
Walt Shiel
John Drake Selmer wrote:
>
> Indeed, the same rule
> goes on to state that when departing an airport, an aircraft is to comply
> with any traffic patterns established for that airport in Pt. 93.
> Aircraft, as in fixed-wing, rotory-wing, whatever.
What? You consider helicopters to be aircraft? My god, such heresy....
Theo Mennekes
> What? You consider helicopters to be aircraft? My god, such heresy....
>
> Walt
Seems like you are jealous because you've never flown one...?
Rwingels
As a Navy helo bubba, I think the pilot's seat is on the right for
shipboard ops. On the carrier, the "island" is to the right of the
landing area. Therefore, while sitting on deck, the pilot in the right
seat has better visual references.
Ron Miller
I'd bet it has more to do with the early development of what sort of controls
to use and where to put them in helos.
In a super-simple two placer, you could have ONE collective and two
cyclics. Probably also has to do with right handers.
Human factors combined with tradition, more'n likely.
Ron Miller
inactive/expired CFI-G
Ed Chernenkoff
It all has to do with the certification flight. If the pilot was sitting on the right or left seat
that is how the helicopter is certified. In most bell helos the pilot sits on the right. In the
hughes 500 the pilot sits on the left. In a bell 47J the pilot sits in the middle.
Joe Norris
>Subject: Re: Do chopper pilots sit in the right seat?
>Date: 27 Jul 1996 05:08:15 GMT
Of course, before certification there comes design. The reason these birds
are certificated in these configurations is because the designers and builders
wanted them that way. So, using certification as a reason for why things are
done the way they are is not the real answer. Besides, military aircraft are
not necessarilly certificated, so again the designer becomes the main force in
why things are the way they are.
In talking with several other helo pilots, both military and civilian, the
answer still ends up being the same. PIC on the right is preferrable in helos
to ease the operation of auxiliary controls (such as radios, lights, etc),
because it's far easier to remove the left hand from the collective for this
purpose than to have to switch hands on the cyclic.
Joe Norris
Central Wisconsin, USA
e-mail: jno...@tznet.com
Ed Chernenkoff
To fly is human - to hover divine...
Ed,Canada
S/MELS, Rotary, BH04,06
Klaus P Kraemer
In <4t8akd$r...@news00.btx.dtag.de> Flugd...@t-online.de (Theo
Ted, the saying goes that helicopters fly not due to aerodynamic
characteristics (they don't have any). They fly because they are so
ugly that the earth repels them...
Klaus (fixed-winger).
Ed Chernenkoff
Klaus, Klaus, Klaus
Try a helicopter and you'll never go back to fixed wing. I know I did...
Ed, Canada
SMELS, ROTARY BH04,BH06
H.G. Harber
continously.
Theo Mennekes
Klaus P Kraemer wrote:
>
> Ted, the saying goes that helicopters fly not due to aerodynamic
> characteristics (they don't have any). They fly because they are so
> ugly that the earth repels them...
>
> Klaus (fixed-winger).
That was a good one!
So, why do I not fly??
;-)
Desmond Beck
On 25 Jul 1996 17:24:29 GMT, Flugd...@t-online.de (Theo Mennekes)
wrote:
>> What? You consider helicopters to be aircraft? My god, such heresy....
>>
>> Walt
>
>Seems like you are jealous because you've never flown one...?
>--
>Ted, Germany
>PP C425, C441, BH06
Eons ago,when I was in flt. school at Ft.Wolters TX. It was explained
to me that the definition of a fixed wing aviator was " an individual
with a keen interest in aviation, but not enough nerve to try it".
not telling
shows what you know about aerodynamics eh