Michael, a commercial pilot from New Jersey, writes: “In fixed-wing airplanes that require two pilots, the captain sits on the left. Why is that?”
Because it’s easier for left-handed pilots, like me, to fly from the left seat, and we all know that lefties make the best pilots. Next question…
What..? What’s that? You say 90% of the pilot population disagrees with me?
Oh. Well, I guess there must be some other explanation, then. So let’s dig into it.
Going back to the beginning, the world’s first ever two-seat airplane was the Wright Model A from 1906. It featured side-by-side seating and the pilot sat on the left. He had to. There was only one set of flight controls on the Model A, and they were on the left.
Of course, what side the lead pilot sits on matters more when we get to airplanes with dual controls. When did that happen?
Actually, a single Wright A, the one used in Europe for training, was set up with dual controls. The next dual-controlled plane was probably the 1911 Thomas, followed by an assortment of tandem military trainers.
But appropriately enough, the flight deck as we think of it — with two side-by-side pilots with identical controls — first makes its appearance at the birth of the airliner in 1913: In the Sikorsky Russky Vityaz, even though it wasn’t always flown by a two-man crew.
Which seat did the pilot use? Historic photos show a painfully young Igor Sikorsky himself sitting left seat.
So why did the Wrights choose to put their controls on the left? Why did Sikorsky choose the left seat when either would do?
Many fogged-in hangar pilots say it started with the Wrights, and that everyone else copied them and that they in turn did it simply because in the United States a car driver sits on the left, and the Wrights were used to the idea of left-side control.
Well, that’s putting the cart before the horse, or at least the modern car before the cart.
Sure, since colonial times, we’ve driven on the right side of the road, but this actually led to most wagons and buggies being driven from the right side to avoid falling into the barrow pit — a bigger risk than hitting the on-coming traffic.
Mirroring this, most early cars had the steering wheel on the right-hand side until the Ford Model-T — with its odd-ball arrangement of the steering wheel on the left — grew to dominate the market. But that started in 1908, two years after the Wright Model A took to the skies with the pilot on the left. So there must be some other reason…
Other folks say that the command pilot sits on the left because the left turning tendency of airplanes makes left turns easier, and are therefore preferred, and you have a better view from the left seat in left-hand turns. While that might be true much farther down the evolutionary line of airplanes, it’s not true of Wright planes, which had counter-rotating props. So there must be some other reason…
A third school of thought is that most pilots are right handed, and that the dominate hand should be free for the prop, mix, throttle, radio, as the yoke, some say, requires less finesse. But early planes “handled” differently than today’s: Some required one hand each on a pair of control sticks, others required a two-handed grip on a large car-like control wheel. So there must be some other reason…
Could it be that Orville, Wilbur, and Igor were lefties? It’s easier for us lefties to fly from the left seat. Nope. History tells us that all three were right handed. So there must be some other reason…
And I don’t know what it is. But I do know, logically, that the common “theories” don’t hold water. Sorry about that.
Meanwhile, speaking of right and left, next time on Questions from the Cockpit, we look at an enlightened question that helps you tell your left from your right.
William E. Dubois is a commercial pilot, ground instructor, and prefers to sit on the left side of the cockpit.
I believe this discussion is missing a few facts. The first two-seat airplane was the 1905 Flyer III modified to be the prototype for the 1908 Military Flyer. Since the pilot of the 1905 and earlier Wright airplanes lay in a hip cradle to the left of the engine it was most practical to set the left seat up with the controls when they modified the Flyer III to meet the Army requirement for two seats.
The Wright Model A would have been one of the first aircraft to have dual controls, although the 1909 Military Flyer might have been modified to with duel controls. The typical arrangement of flying controls on a Wright Flyer were: a central control stick which controlled roll (wing warping) when moved forward and back, and a “goose neck” moveable top which controlled the rudder; and sticks outside of each pilot seat to control pitch. There were other arrangements-remember they were making this stuff up from scratch-and Wilbur and Orville each had different preferences.
Most of the early flight training on Wright aircraft were done on Models A and B with the controls described above. Student pilots could be taught from either seat, but often because the pitch and roll control locations were reversed for each seat muscle memory would require a pilot to be either a left seat pilot or a right seat pilot. A left seat pilot would use the right hand to roll and the left to pitch, while a right seat pilot would use the left to roll and right to pitch. In stressful situations getting confused could be fatal.
Early on at the Wright schools left seat instructors would produce right seat pilots and vice versa. For example, Orville flew from the left seat and he taught Walter Brookings who thereafter flew from the right seat and went on to teach the other Wright Exhibition Team pilots. Exhibition Team member Arch Hoxley is seen in photos flying from the left seat. Photos of Marjorie Stinson is seen in photos flying from the right seat.
Curtiss and others introduced center control sticks and rudder peddles which brought an end to left seat/right seat only pilots. And from this point on other cultural preferences probably dictated where the pilot-in-command sat.
William,
Yes, would be very interested to read further research on this fascinating subject (I must get out and about more).
I do need though to debunk your suggestion in your article that it might be as a result of the left turning effect on aeroplanes as a result of engine torque. The Sopwith Camel, the most effective and widely produced WW1 fighter turned to starboard much more quickly due to its propeller rotation, followed by most British designs including Spitfires with Merlin engines.
I learned to fly on a Tiger Moth and that was the same, the Gypsy Major, Cirrus etc engines were common powerplants for many aircraft and all of them demanded a strong left foot. When I first flew an aeroplane with a Lycoming engine it was new learning process.
And on the question of which hand to fly with, the military always train pilots to fly right hand on stick, left hand on throttle so single seat aircraft are configured that way. The Marchetti, which I now fly, is configured (and certified) for P1 in the right hand seat for that reason.
In the UK we even drive cars with steering wheels on the right, as do the majority of countries in the world, so the left hand just operates the gear shift and a few switches…..maybe that’s why British racing drivers have always been very fast!
“In the UK we even drive cars with steering wheels on the right, as do the majority of countries in the world”
???
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_left-hand_traffic
What I heard was that the early American military planes were used by the
Army, and as the cavalry mounted from the left, the planes were also “mounted” on the left. This was in the days of single, and tandem seat airplanes. When planes started having side by side seating, the left side continued.
Given that most civil airfields have left hand patterns, the better visibility during landing is on the left side. Whichever came first, the left pattern or the left seat does not matter as much as the better safety from better visibility.
British steering on the right side clearly has its origins in cavalry and jousting. At the time of the revolution, the American left side preference was deliberate to differentiate from the British.
Yes left hand patterns were the norm unless local conditions dictated otherwise!
Well, I don’t know why the captain sits on the left, but at least I know what a barrow pit is now!
As an Embry-Riddle student in the early 80″s, we pondered the left seat question regularly…
Many theories arose. The oldest one being that, most soldiers held their weapon in their right hand. When entering into combat you would want your enemy to your right side. When charging forward in a line of horses the leader would choose the far left position to have the greatest advantage.
Soldiers also trained and worked their right arm and leg more so their right side was stronger. When mounting a horse you grab the mane with the right hand and the right foot goes into the stirrup to hoist yourself up in to the saddle. This means we mount the horse on the right side so Piper, Beech, Mooney and others put the door on the right side.
Another theory is the English read and write from left to right.
When I worked on a ranch we always mounted from the left side.
I always mounted my horse from the left and everyone I know that had horses did also.
Military officers wore (and still wear) their sword on the left hip, requiring a mounting of the horse from the left side. The tradition persists hundreds of years later.
How is the B-2 cockpit set up? Also, spacecraft? I believe in the B-2, the Mission Commander is in the right seat. I was taught it was pattern driven.
I am delightfully confused but now better informed. Well done, M. Dubois.
–Paul
And yet in helicopters the right seat is usually occupied by the person FLYING the aircraft whereas the Senior or A/C usually is in the left seat. While both seats can fly the aircraft the cabin door of most helicopters is on the right. In hoisting ops etc the pilot in the right seat has a better view of the conditions around the hoist area. (I flew Dustoff in Viet Nam in Hueys and USCG in H52’s and HH65’s. We hoisted from these platforms routinely)
A far more fun question is “why did the pilot in early airplanes fly from the BACK seat? This carries right through to the J3 Cub. (Hint: it has to do with center of lift)
It is related to the aircraft CG. Later J-3’s with wood props can be flown solo from the front seat if the weight and balance permit. My Fleet was built in 1929 and flown solo from the front seat with the original 110 hp Warner engine. It now has a heavier 145 hp Warner engine and is flown solo from the back seat.
I always thought that helicopters put the pilot in the Right seat because the collective was in his left hand. It seems from what experience I do have with helicopters the collective can be more readily released to operate the various controls, most of which are in the center or near the center. It seemed to me that the cyclic needs more attention and cannot be left to its own for long even with force trim. Like I said it is based on my limited experience.
As for flying from the back seat, it represents a longer moment arm from the CG (and Center of Lift) so changing between empty and occupied would have a greater influence on the CG position. The front seat is much closer to the CG so occupied vs. empty does not have anywhere as much effect there, mostly to gross weight.
Sarah. Right on! On both counts. The collective is best handeled with the left (“off”) hand. We do put collectives at each left hand in modern helos though.
The back seat pilot has mostly wt changes when loading is pretty much under the center of lift. One of the details here is that until the ‘20’s pitch trim change was made by un bolting and shimming the stabalizer. By the mid ‘20’s it was a mute point as pitch trim was now a built in. Our ‘29 KR plagerized the WACO “parking brake” type with notches of trim. The continuous cable over pulleys running a jack screw, which was later motorized, is a “modern” addition (1940’s)
Graham, Mark–As you’ll see next month (without being a spoiler) we in aviation do borrow from the sea from time to time. That said, I’m pretty sure that the left seat was long established before there were enough planes in the sky for anyone to be thinking about right-a-way rules. Would you gents like me to look into the history of the right of way?
I simply thought it was because the original Wright Flyer had the engine on the right side…
I am pretty sure the reason for the left hand seat convention (it’s not a rule) is that at the beginning of aviation law the rules for preventing collisions were borrowed and adapted from the rules of the road that applied to shipping, now known as the International Regulations for preventing collisions at sea..
The obvious ones are turn to starboard when two vessels are approaching head on, and the give way rule when on converging courses.
So when aircraft big enough to have two side by side pilot seats came along the Captain seated on the left would have a clear view of the passing aircraft, or the one he has to give way to.
Much the same was the adaptation of the rules for which vessels give way to less manoeuvrable ones, sail over power etc. just as aeroplanes give way to gliders, etc.
William, great article! Is it possible that maritime/nautical practices at the time had already established that collision avoidance was to be achieved by turning starboard, thereby giving the port side seat a better view of the opposing vessel? If I recall correctly from my early training, aviation adopted a lot of processes, terms, etc. from sailors.