Morning all

Hope everyone had a good Christmas. OK the question, why in FSX and real aircraft do the controls differ. Most single seat machines like Fighters, Tandem Trainers and the like have joystick/aileron control on the right hand and throttle on the left. Yet big airliners, transport craft and side by side light aircraft the skipper/captain have throttle control on the right. Is there some logical reason for this or has it been lost in the depths of time.

Cheers
Rich

I suspect you're left-handed. Even today, the majority of people are right-handed & it's more comfortable to hold the control stick in the right hand with the throttle on the left. On dual-controlled aircraft with side-by-side seating it's practical to have the engine controls mounted on a central console for use by both pilots. As the PIC usually sits in the left-hand seat this means flying the aircraft "left-handed".

There are exceptions to this. From observation most helicopters are flown from the right-hand seat. The RAF Tutor basic trainer has side-by-side seating but is flown solo from the right seat.

Quote:

I wouldn't know about helicopters but I have a lot of experience with fixed-wing R/C models of all types. It might be more natural for left-handers to use a different TX mode or find a left-handed joystick for use in FS but my advice would be to learn to use the standard set-up if possible. This will be a great help if you ever wish to learn to fly "for real". They don't make left or right-handed aircraft or cars for that matter. You have to manage with what you've got.

olderndirt wrote on Dec 26^th, 2010 at 8:36pm:

This reminds me. Some modern microlights (LSA in the US) use alternative control layouts with side-by-side seating & a single stick in the centre. One example is the Ikarus C42 which is a very popular trainer. The separate throttle controls are between each pilot's legs. Sounds awkward but I'm told you soon get used to it. http://flymac.co.uk/ikarus-c42

Some interesting observations here chaps, I am right handed and prefer throttle left. Perhaps when I can afford a yoke/pedal system I might change my mind, but it still strikes me as odd to have two different layouts depending on the aircraft.

In addition the the seating configuration issues discussed above, there are good reasons for various control style choices.

A yoke (rotating control wheel), offers light aileron control force but is not very good for large, rapid control inputs. That's why you typically see it on older airliners and most light GA.

A center stick is much better for large, rapid control inputs. The stick is mounted in the center because it puts your arm in a position where you can roll left just as well as right. That is why you typically see it on older fighter jets and light aerobatic airplanes.

A side stick is similar to a center stick, but it has the advantage of being out of the way (good for airliners) and in a position where you can put your forearm on an armrest (good for fighters pulling Gs). The problem is that it puts your arm in a very poor position for making large-force roll inputs. You can pull the stick to the inside easily but it is very difficult to push the stick to the outside. So the left-seat pilot can roll right easily but has a difficult time rolling left. So this is a poor choice if your airplane has high roll forces. Fortunately, fly-by-wire gets rid of control forces and your inputs to the stick are made with wrist motion instead of arm motion. This takes care of the roll issue and makes the side stick a good choice. This is why you see it on modern airliners and modern fighters.

SaultFresh wrote on Dec 28^th, 2010 at 1:29am:


Some aircraft, you need two hands!