Right seat problems

The buyer of my Ercoupe called me the other day asking if I would like to
fly with him after the plane got finished with the pre-buy inspection. I
agreed but told him that I'm not a CFI and it would be better to get a CFI
checkout if needed for his insurance. He also asked if I'd help relocate the
plane, no problem! I took it as another chance to fly the Ercoupe again.
He's going to get a CFI checkout for insurance in the next couple days.

Yesterday he flew a club Warrior here to Fairmont (FRM) to pick me up and
take me up to Waseca (ACQ) where the plane has been for a week for a pre-buy
inspection. I then flew the Ercoupe from there to Mankato (MKT) with a bit
of site-seeing along the way, he wanted to have both of us fly the planes
over his parents house near St Peter, no problem. It was a bit windy at
Mankato when we landed; 290 at 17G23, landed on 33. He parked his Warrior
and asked if the Ercoupe needed any fuel. It only had 1.5 hours flown since
the last fill so I passed on waiting to fuel up. I slid over to the right
seat and he climbed into the left. I showed him some of the features in the
Ercoupe and we were ready to go.

He took of fine and we went around the pattern. He flew a wider pattern than
I was use to, but no problems. After he turned base, he said "your plane,
lets see how you land it" to me. I tried to get the power and pitch correct
on final but my right and left hands wanted to do it differently! I was
trying to push/pull on the throttle and yoke with the wrong hands. After I
realized I wasn't doing too good at getting it stabilized to land, I asked
him to take over. He landed it fine.

We parked the Ercoupe and climbed back into the Warrior to give me a ride
back to Fairmont. On the way back, he wrote out a check and I filled out the
bill of sale for the Ercoupe.

This was the first time I had tried to fly from the right seat. Now I know
that if I ever want to try flying right seat again, get someone in the left
seat to help me if needed. I didn't think I would have had that much problem
flying from the right, but I was wrong...

-Greg B.

P.S. Jay, can your sim be set up for right seat flying? Need the Ercoupe
software and you can do away with those rudder pedal thingies...
;-)

Greg B wrote:


This was the first time I had tried to fly from the right seat. Now I know
that if I ever want to try flying right seat again, get someone in the left
seat to help me if needed. I didn't think I would have had that much problem
flying from the right, but I was wrong...


It is a big transition when you experience it for the first time. I think
you need to actually 'train' your right hand to fly and the left to work
the radios/throttle/flaps etc. Your brain is wired to flying on the left.

There is another visual anomaly that comes into play as well and can be
more or less pronounced depending upon you are right or left eye dominant.
The 'picture' will look wrong especially on landing and even taxiing.

Given enough time you will transfer the skills to opposite sides of your
body. I think it took ma about 15 hours to become proficient flying from
the right. Nowadays I actually fly more hours right than left and feel
totally comfortable either side (not all aircraft!).

P.S. Jay, can your sim be set up for right seat flying? Need the Ercoupe
software and you can do away with those rudder pedal thingies...
;-)

Crap. I better contact my A&P, quick, to change the design of the new
"cockpit" to include TWO yokes...

;-)

I've never landed from the right seat, but I fly from there all the
time (with Mary in the left) -- and the sight-picture is remarkably
different. You wouldn't think 26 inches one way or 't'other would make
that much difference, but it does.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

This is probably a naïve question, but: Is the PIC normally in the
left seat in all aircraft, everywhere? Or does the captain's seat
vary from one side to the other depending on the region of the world,
or the manufacturer of the aircraft?

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...
This is probably a naïve question, but: Is the PIC normally in the
left seat in all aircraft, everywhere? Or does the captain's seat
vary from one side to the other depending on the region of the world,
or the manufacturer of the aircraft?

It's normal to PIC from the left seat but there isn't any regulation stating
so. Initial pilot training, the CFI is PIC in the right seat. I remember
asking in Singapore which seat people normally fly from and they did left
seat also, although driving there is RHD.

They wouldn't let me drive a car (right hand drive) in Singapore.

The PIC (Pilot in Command) may be in any seat, even in the backseat
if he/she wishes.

From the Aviation Dictionary,
"The person who (1) has final authority and responsibility for the
operation and safety of the flight".

Doesn't mean the hands are on the yoke/stick, just means that's
the one who will be sued.

In article ,
kontiki wrote:

It is a big transition when you experience it for the first time. I think
you need to actually 'train' your right hand to fly and the left to work
the radios/throttle/flaps etc. Your brain is wired to flying on the left.

I've flown from the right (with my wife on the left) several times but had
never taken off or landed from there. On a lark, at the end of getting
checked out with a CFI in the Skyhawk my wife usually flies I swapped seats
with him and did one takeoff/landing from the right. I didn't have any
problem with the throttle on the left since I've been flying a Champ but
the sight picture really messed me up. Even taxiing was strange and the
takeoff roll felt barely in control. I could safely land from the right
if my wife was incapacitated but I wouldn't do it on purpose until I've had
a few more hours with a CFI. I had a DE tell me it only takes 5 or 6 hours
for the strangeness to go away and after that you can swap back and forth
with little effort. One of these days I'll follow up with that training
since it'd be a nice way for my wife and I to share PIC duties without
trading seats.

--
Scott Post

Greg B writes:

It's normal to PIC from the left seat but there isn't any regulation stating
so. Initial pilot training, the CFI is PIC in the right seat. I remember
asking in Singapore which seat people normally fly from and they did left
seat also, although driving there is RHD.

From what I understand, the PIC has to have "dual controls" if he is
in the right seat. Does that just mean yoke and rudder, or what? I
gather there aren't any restrictions on instruments, although I guess
most aircraft (?) have an extra artificial horizon and altimeter on
the right side (?).

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

P.S. Jay, can your sim be set up for right seat flying? Need the Ercoupe
software and you can do away with those rudder pedal thingies... ;-)

Crap. I better contact my A&P, quick, to change the design of the new
"cockpit" to include TWO yokes... ;-)
I've never landed from the right seat, but I fly from there all the
time (with Mary in the left) -- and the sight-picture is remarkably
different. You wouldn't think 26 inches one way or 't'other would make
that much difference, but it does.

Right? Left? Doesn't matter. Straight ahead is straight ahead.