# helicopter seating **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 26, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-seating/358354 "2006-05-26T19:04:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-seating/358354/21 "2006-05-27T10:41:58Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > In any helicopter I have been in the pilot’s weight being 3 feet to the left would do absolutely nothing. As soon as you said that I knew you’d never been in a Robinson > [@](#): > > On the single seat VS-300, which made its debut on 8 December 1941, the collective control was fitted on the left side of the seat (for reasons unknown to me). The next year brought the introduction of the XR-4 helicopter, which was designed to the flown from the left seat (again for reasons I’m not sure of…it is possible that Mr. Sikorsky was trying to follow the convention of fixed wing aircraft). It’s also possible ol’ Igor just like things set up that way. Wouldn’t be the first time an arrangement of stuff arises from arbritrary decisions, or the whims of one individual. > [@](#): > > Other reason that the pilot position is on the right is because the pilot needs his right hand to fly the A/C. Since the collective doesnt need the attention that the cyclic needs its only natural to put the pilot on the right hand side, thus leaving the left hand to tune radios and perform other tasks. So… what, the left handed need not apply? IANHP, but I routinely switch stick and throttle hands depending on the airplane, and I can work the controls/avionics pretty much equally well with either hand. And I’m not that great shakes a pilot, strictly average in ability. Also - what about rotor CFI’s? If they’re instructing in something like an R-22 then their hand positions are reversed. Apparently this is not a problem…? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-seating/358354/22 "2006-05-27T13:46:58Z")
[QUOTE=Broomstick] So… what, the left handed need not apply? Also - what about rotor CFI’s? If they’re instructing in something like an R-22 then their hand positions are reversed. Apparently this is not a problem…? [/QUOTE] Handedness doesn’t really apply. You just fly a heli with your right hand, much like you (or I do, anyway) fly a Cessna with my left. As far as instruction goes, the IP has a collective to his or her left, just like the student does; so the cyclic is in the IP’s right hand and the collective in his (if I may switch from PC to regular grammar) left. However he must switch hands to reach the console. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-seating/358354/23 "2006-05-27T14:24:38Z")
[QUOTE=Broomstick] As soon as you said that I knew you’d never been in a Robinson [/QUOTE] Incidentally, for those who don’t know about weight-and-balance: In a fixed-wing aircraft the pilot loads the aircraft so that it balances fore-and-aft. In helicopters the pilot must also figure the lateral weight-and-balance, and must take into account the longitudinal and lateral movement of the CG as fuel is burned. [Here](http://www.pilotfriend.com/training/flight_training/wt_bal.htm) is a page that talks about fixed-wing weight-and-balance. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-seating/358354/24 "2006-05-27T17:21:02Z")
Sometimes during the boring times of going to and from work in our patrol aircrat, if the conditions were good enough we would trim to such a degree of balance that we could fly straight and level and make gentle turns and climbs and decents with just slight body movements, sometimes just a head nod would do. You are truley balanced on the point of a pin. An Aerostar on the other hand… Bawahahahaa [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helicopter-seating/358354.md?page=1)