LouW

I am curious. Why do manufacturers insist on giving us left hand engines when the majority of modelers are right handed? In the early days, engines had the exhaust on the left side and the needle valve (and ignition timer) on the right side where it fell naturally to hand for a right handed operator. This arrangement persisted for many years and made good sense. Then somewhere along the line the exhaust was moved to the right side where without a muffler it blows toward your face and with a muffler it’s easier to get burned. At the same time the needle valve adjustment was moved to the left side to get away from the muffler/exhaust requiring a right handed operator to reach across the nose and make adjustments with his left hand. This is not only awkward, but increases the likelihood of getting into the prop. Of course on many engines the carburetor can be reversed to put the needle valve on the right side, but this puts it too close to the exhaust which can’t be changed. I guess they never heard of “human engineering�.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

Most engines now days, come with remote needle valves. You can mount most of them anywhere you want to?

Enjoy,

Jim

AMB

Almost all you can install the carb the other way yes this does put it on the exhaust side but
on one of my planes cowlings it worked out since it had a needle extension. on my 4 strks
if mounted on side its almost a necessity to hook up the throttle rod to flip the carb

rrragmanliam

My Feedback: (1)

Hey I'm left handed. Works for me! But believe me as I live in a world where almost every thing is designed for right handers, I understand your angst. Hang in there.

Darren

Azcat59

So you can hold onto the plane with your stronger right hand while you adjust the NV with your left. And so the NV will be on the top of the cowl if the engine is side-mounted, rather than having to reach underneath the cowl for it. I started with them on the right side in 1946 but I don't see much of a problem with the engines as now designed.

Clair

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

I'm left handed and I have the prop scars on my left knuckles to prove it. I started putting the needle valves on the left side in the late 50's. It worked great with side mounted engines and also I didn't burn my knockles with the exhaust.

Enjoy,

Jim

gcb

Some fly 'em upright, some fly 'em inverted...so which is for right handed people.

George

PS. I'd give my right arm to be ambidexterous.

Perminator

If you get exhaust in your face and think it's akward to reach across the plane to adjust the needle valve, why don't you just stand on the other side?[&:]

Bax

My Feedback: (11)

Don't know if it was intended, but if you are behind the model with your right hand holding the fuselage, you can carefully reach forward to adjust the needle on an upright-mounted engine. Same for side-mounted with the exhaust port pointing down. Don't know why anyone would mount the engine with the needle downward, it's quite hard to adjust it there. With inverted mounting, the needle would be on the right and exhaust port on the left. Hold the model with the left hand and adjust with the right. Not too hard, even for stronly-right-handed people like me!.

You won't be reaching across the model if you position yourself on the same side of the model as the needle (upright or inverted mounting), hold it with the hand closest to the model, and adjust with the other hand. So...upright mount, hold model with right hand and adjust with left. Inverted mount, just do the opposite.

I've seen people try to adjust a needle from in front of the model. Scares me every time I see it. Trying to adjust the needle by reaching over the prop is an invitation to serious injury.

bax

LouW

Let me answer a few comments. There is no reason a side mounted engine couldn’t be mounted with the cylinder toward the left side. Then the muffler would be on the bottom and the needle valve on top as is the case now. Remote needle valves introduce a slight lag when adjusting which increases with distance from the carburetor. Also the brackets supplied are still for mounting on the left side. To change would require fabricating a custom bracket.

I didn’t say I couldn’t accommodate. I currently have eight R/C models, all with the modern, left handed configuration, and I somehow manage to get them all tuned with a minimum of fuss. I flew control line for years and early r/c then left the hobby for a while to raise a family and make a living. When I returned all the engines were being made backwards. Come on guys. You are just defending the status quo. I can understand the kids. They don’t know any different and probably think the configuration is specified in the bible or there is a law or something.

While most of the world is equipped to favor right handed people, the area of model engines definitely favors lefties.

Sprink

Can't say I have never noticed a problem. As LouW says, being new(ish) to the hobby, I don't know any different.

Seeing as since my first two planes non have had an upright mounted engine, it has not been much of an issue.

Ed_Moorman

My Feedback: (1)

Back in free flight it didn't matter. In control line, right handed people wanted to turnclockwise so they would be facing forward. With the exhaust on the right, the oil went to the outside of the circle giving you a cleaner plane. The old K&Bs had a left hand exhault which was on the inside of the circle. Gave you a messy plane. For a side mounted engine, the exhaust ended facing upwards, the engine had to be on the outside of the circle for balance. With the upwards exhaust, the engine would flood easier, and in those days we all hand started. K&B finally switched to a right side exhaust and all engines have been made that way ever since.

If you really want a left hand exhaust, get a MVVS. Their cylinders can be rotated before break-in to any direction.

jharkin

My Feedback: (2)

I'm another "new pilot" and I dont have any problem with the setup. Im a rightie, but I have no problem standing on the left side and using my left hand to turn the needle. And on my planes with inverted engines, I stand on the right and use my right hand. Neither way feels awkward to me; Its not like turning the valve a few clicks requires the same level of fine motor control that writing does.

wisdom-seeker

You know, I've never had a problem adjusting the engine, but then, the usual attitude that I use is standing over the plane with my heels blocking the horizontal stab. That way the plane isn't going anywhere, and I can lean down and adjust the needle on either side with either hand and not have to worry about holding onto the plane at the same time. The only drawback is that I need to wash my pants more often as the spray from the exhaust hits me right about the ankles.

downunder

Historically Ed is pretty much correct (except I think you meant anti-clockwise Ed?). It has to be remembered that when engines were gradually developing to what we have today, they were virtually all intended for CL. Some had the exhaust on the left, others had it on the right. But they were all unmuffled and most people mounted them upright. Putting the exhaust to the side we're familiar with now had two advantages. First, with an upright engine the exhaust sound was directed away from you but it also allowed the needle valve to be on the opposite side away from the exhaust. CL fuel tanks rely on centripetal force to hold the fuel against the outside wall of the tank so this of course is where the outlet is placed. The tubing then runs along the exhaust side of the engine to the spraybar. On an engineering side the setup that's used now is slightly better in that the swirling action of the mixture in the crankcase rotates towards the transfer port so it may give slightly more power.

LouW

Ed must have meant anti-clockwise. Having flown control line, both spark ignition and glow, in the 40’s through the early 60’s, I assure you that most engines were configured like the torpedo in the picture. As to the supposed advantages of the left hand configuration, directing the exhaust sound away from the center no doubt contributed to the loss of many control line fields due to the noise, and most of the fliers, including myself, liked to hear the engine sound anyway. As far as the slight benefit thought to accrue due to the swirl of the mixture rotating toward the transfer port, by the time engines begun to appear with the exhaust on the right side, schneurle porting had replaced side porting in most engines so that advantage is non-existent. Although it sounds good in theory, I doubt if it made a measurable difference in power output anyway. As to the fuel line routing, that too is a non-issue in R/C models as either side is convenient from our centrally located tank outlets.

I admit it isn’t a major problem, it’s just another case of custom overcoming good sense.

Dauntae

ambidexterous is a good thing hehe however how I got ambidexterous is a bad thing. Amazing how a solid right handed person can become left handed when he get a piece of steel jabbed through his hand. 98% back to norm but still have pins and needles in the pinkie. But can adjust with the lefty real easy now.

Dauntae

gcb

One advantage of the exhaust pointed into the circle (before mufflers) was that as kids, we would fly until dark. Sometimes you couldn't see the plane but you could spot the engine from the glow in the exhaust.
How many others did that? OK old timers, fess up.

George