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AR15.COM
12/14/2007 8:03:20 PM EDT
In a fixed wing aircraft, the aircraft commander sits in the left seat. In a helicopter, the A/'C sits in the right seat, why? I was in an American Legion talking to a soldier who told me that he was a Blackhawk crew chief, when I asked him his response was "Why do fixed wing A/Cs sit in the left seat?' (He didn't know either). Dumb ass answers = fail.
12/14/2007 8:04:31 PM EDT
[#1]
Because they want to feel special?
12/14/2007 8:05:17 PM EDT
[#2]
Right hand on the collective is easier to look down over your left shoulder at the ground. Or vice versa.

Something like that.
12/14/2007 8:07:01 PM EDT
[#3]

Quoted:
Left hand on the collective is easier to look down over your right shoulder at the ground.


That actually make sense.  I always thought it was because Igor Sikorsky was dyslexic.
12/14/2007 8:07:14 PM EDT
[#4]
That makes sense, thanks!
12/14/2007 8:13:14 PM EDT
[#5]
I asked this same question about 4 weeks ago. The best answer was, that controlling the cyclic (the "joy stick") requires more manual dexterity than controlling the collective (the one that looks like a parking brake, and has both the throttle and the blade pitch on it). so a right-handed pilot would sit where the cyclic was in his right hand, and the collective in his left.
12/14/2007 8:16:07 PM EDT
[#6]
It depends on what kind of helicopter it is, on some the pilot in command sits in the left seat, some are right seat, Bell is a good example of a right seat for pilot in command.

A little checking around found that there has been a movement to the right seat, left seat PIC is still an option on many helicopters.

www.aerospaceweb.org/question/helicopters/q0072.shtml