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Pilots of fixed wing aircraft have traditionally held the stick with
the right hand using the left hand for handling the power controls.

The throttle for most helicopters is a twist grip (like a mororcycle)
mounted on the colective (which is moved up and down) and so is the
power control used by a helicopter pilot with hi left hand, same as
fixed wing. For large sophisticated multi-engine helicopters such as
Sikorsky S-61 the throttles are mounted on the overhead panel, not on
the collective.


gl



"Speaking of which, I learned just this weekend why the pilot in a
helicopter sits in the right-hand seat, even though the pilot's seat
for
a conventional aircraft had been on the left for over three decades
before the development of the helicopter.   It's because Igor Sikorsky
figured that the helicopter pilot would want the stick in his right
hand
(as in an aircraft) but he also needed to manipulate the collective
(the
control that regulates the main rotor and therefore lift and thrust)
which is typically located on the centerline of the aircraft.  So
rather
than make pilots learn how to fly "left-handed," he moved them to the
right seat. "

On May 27, 11:48 pm, Lu Abel  wrote:
> Greg R. wrote:
> > Which reminded me of something that I've been meaning to ask - I've
> > noticed that in marine navigation textbooks DR lines are usually
> > labeled as being a "course" (i.e. TC 210, MC 150) - either true or
> > magnetic,  depending on personal preference.
>
> > But isn't what we're really plotting a heading? I think of a "course"
> > as being the path that a vessel tracks over the ground (or over the
> > bottom), and heading as the direction a vessel is pointed or steered in
> > order to produce that course.
>
> I suspect it's tradition more than anything else -- "course" is the
> maritime term just as "heading" is the aircraft term.   Maybe the latter
> is better - it certainly gives the impression "this is the way the
> airplane is pointing" (eg, on crosswind landings).  COG (course over
> ground) is again the maritime term for what an aircraft pilot would call
> "course"
>
> But then we could also ask why the person who drives an aircraft is the
> "pilot" which is the term for someone who navigates a ship in coastal
> waters ;-)
>
> Speaking of which, I learned just this weekend why the pilot in a
> helicopter sits in the right-hand seat, even though the pilot's seat for
> a conventional aircraft had been on the left for over three decades
> before the development of the helicopter.   It's because Igor Sikorsky
> figured that the helicopter pilot would want the stick in his right hand
> (as in an aircraft) but he also needed to manipulate the collective (the
> control that regulates the main rotor and therefore lift and thrust)
> which is typically located on the centerline of the aircraft.  So rather
> than make pilots learn how to fly "left-handed," he moved them to the
> right seat.
>
> Lu Abel
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