Why most modellers prefer left counterclockwise turns with their planes?
04-23-2014, 10:13 AM
#226
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OK, OK ....I'll tell you the real reason but, afterward you'll be subjected to a memory altering ray-gun so, you probably won't remember this except in a weird dream. It's Aliens. Only aliens turn left. That's how we can tell them apart from the "real" people. Oh yeah, you can also ID them by their purple skin, large yellow eyes, rotten teeth, bad breath, spiked green mo-hawk hair, and 4 arms. Kind of like a punk rocker with acne. 
Gee, I hope the MIBs don't nab me for revealing this.
RJ
Gee, I hope the MIBs don't nab me for revealing this.
RJ
04-23-2014, 12:01 PM
#227
It's a personal instructor that is responsible for how a person eventually flies. There are people in this hobby that just can't/won't make Right hand turns into them selves. especially if your lucky enough to have a flight line that faces north. (4 out of the 5 clubs I belong to do. I am fortunate enough to spend 6 months in Apache Junction AZ. and 6 months in SE Wisconsin where it was 32 degrees F this morning. My point is we all know people that are the crashers and smashers and so long as they aren't dangerous let them be. but Yes, it's the club officers and instructors that ultimately responsible for the safety practices of the club.
Larry / Instructor
04-23-2014, 01:50 PM
#228
You are right saying it is the officers and instructors that are ulitimately responsible for the saftey practice of the club, but how are these people handleing their loss? How many of them ever tell you that they can't fly like you do? We had this problem in the club I belong to, untill the instructors, three of them, started helping those that had a hard time making RIGHT hand turns. At least 75% of the ones that were having a hard time making RIGHT hand turns mastered the RIGHT hand turn and now make better takeoff and landings because of it. Just to sit back and watch the same people crash because they have a problem with RIGHT hand turns might cause the club to loose members because they get disgusted and crash a lot. Just saying, offer them help.....
Larry / Instructor
Larry / Instructor
04-23-2014, 03:14 PM
#229
Well I guess if they refuse the help, then there isn't anything you can do. Just let them wreck their planes and complain about it instead of getting help. Since you know which ones are not able to fly RIGHT hand turns, just sit out and watch them crash. At least you won't have to keep looking out for them while you fly. Enjoy your flying when you can. Good luck.......
Larry / Instructor
Larry / Instructor
04-23-2014, 03:45 PM
#230
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U can't help many of these people they refuse your help. One particular parson at Arizona Model aviators field in Apache/Mesa AZ flys big 50cc+ and at least will only fly if the wind is dead calm or from the left (Left hand Problem). He Never uses RUDDER except on the ground. Many other just flat refuse to accept help and get angry when U offer. Every club has them and the KODAK moment people that U expect to crash. Right
RJ
08-20-2014, 12:35 PM
#232
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My thoughts are a combination of engine torque roll as in the previous post and gyroscopic precession that makes left turns flow more easily with less input. When doing a right turn, you must apply a little more power and little more aileron to overcome these factors.
08-21-2014, 12:34 AM
#233
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Sorry, I was away for a few minutes. I had to go pop some corn. My reasoning may be case for some controversy.
Pilots prefer left turns over right not because of anything to do with the aircraft, but having to do with fine motor controls in the hand. We feel more confident of rolling our right hand inward (left turn) than outward (right turn). Do it now and tell me what you feel. Rolling inward comes freely. Rolling outward you feel it down into your wrist.
Ok, fire away!
Bedford
Pilots prefer left turns over right not because of anything to do with the aircraft, but having to do with fine motor controls in the hand. We feel more confident of rolling our right hand inward (left turn) than outward (right turn). Do it now and tell me what you feel. Rolling inward comes freely. Rolling outward you feel it down into your wrist.
Ok, fire away!
Bedford
08-21-2014, 12:44 AM
#234
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Good points...but let's hear from the Mode 3 and Mode 4 flyers out there.....................churp, churp.........................silence............. ...................crickets....................... .......churp.......................silence........ .............
08-21-2014, 03:50 AM
#236
Sorry, I was away for a few minutes. I had to go pop some corn. My reasoning may be case for some controversy.
Pilots prefer left turns over right not because of anything to do with the aircraft, but having to do with fine motor controls in the hand. We feel more confident of rolling our right hand inward (left turn) than outward (right turn). Do it now and tell me what you feel. Rolling inward comes freely. Rolling outward you feel it down into your wrist.
Ok, fire away!
Bedford
Pilots prefer left turns over right not because of anything to do with the aircraft, but having to do with fine motor controls in the hand. We feel more confident of rolling our right hand inward (left turn) than outward (right turn). Do it now and tell me what you feel. Rolling inward comes freely. Rolling outward you feel it down into your wrist.
Ok, fire away!
Bedford
That's all fine but here in America (USA) 99% use Mode 2 and I'd say that more than 50% use thumbs only and to pull the thumb
is easier than pushing it. I believe it's because of the prevailing westerly winds in the USA and poor instruction technique.
I make sure my students can hold Altitude parallel to the runway on down wind and up wind, & can do both right hand and left hand turns either away or toward them selves. before we start landings. i.e. they can fly the aircraft not the aircraft fly them. That's a lot of figure 8' and square 8's.
OH Let me commend me on your use of the english written language.
08-21-2014, 05:33 AM
#237
Nope, I stated it before, its the direction from which you see the plane. It's all in the head. Coming at you from the left, when you roll right, the plane rolls right, coming at you from your right, you roll right, the plane rolls left. Your plane is coming at you from the right, you face it, you want the plane to go left, so naturally you push your stick left, but the plane is now going to your right. When you have the plane coming at you from your left and you are facing the plane, you want to go right, you push the stick right, the plane goes right. It's this coordination that makes it easier to fly one direction over the other. Once you get past the right roll left turn and use opposite control to what you visually see that flying in both directions becomes easier.
What helped me with the coordination was facing the direction the plane is traveling, and looking back at the plane so that my radio was facing the same direction as the plane so when I moved the stick right, that is the direction the plane went. After a few hours of doing this, now I can fly either direction with ease.
Those who have been flying a long time now no longer can see it this way because they have been doing it so long that its natural for them to bank right with left stick from a visual sense, but NOOB's OTOH dont know this and that is where flying clockwise can be troublesome. It really has nothing to do with the plane or physics, just your brains perception of left and right.
What helped me with the coordination was facing the direction the plane is traveling, and looking back at the plane so that my radio was facing the same direction as the plane so when I moved the stick right, that is the direction the plane went. After a few hours of doing this, now I can fly either direction with ease.
Those who have been flying a long time now no longer can see it this way because they have been doing it so long that its natural for them to bank right with left stick from a visual sense, but NOOB's OTOH dont know this and that is where flying clockwise can be troublesome. It really has nothing to do with the plane or physics, just your brains perception of left and right.
08-21-2014, 05:36 AM
#238
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Let this thread prove you can Google anything...and I mean anything.
There is some discussion about the effects of right hand dominance in the population.
There is some discussion about Roman Chariots needing to whip their horses while the reins were in the dominant hand and not wanting to pose the risk of whipping passing chariots; other interesting speculation too.
Perhaps most interesting is a reference to Henry Ford designing the first car with a steering wheel on the left. This, probably so dash controls etc. could be operated with the dominant hand.
So, because of Ford, no matter which side of the two lane road you stand on, traffic is moving left to right.
Hand anatomy, power settings, gyroscopic whatever, mode 7 or 8....sorry, guys saying that are drinking too much coffee
Traffic moves left to right, so we fly left to right. Wish it were more complicated than that...but, humans are creatures of habit (fortunately, deer are too!).
So, there is a useless hypothesis; we fly left to right because we drive that way.
Can anyone on the forum confirm that those countries that drive right to left also fly RC that way?
Tom
There is some discussion about the effects of right hand dominance in the population.
There is some discussion about Roman Chariots needing to whip their horses while the reins were in the dominant hand and not wanting to pose the risk of whipping passing chariots; other interesting speculation too.
Perhaps most interesting is a reference to Henry Ford designing the first car with a steering wheel on the left. This, probably so dash controls etc. could be operated with the dominant hand.
So, because of Ford, no matter which side of the two lane road you stand on, traffic is moving left to right.
Hand anatomy, power settings, gyroscopic whatever, mode 7 or 8....sorry, guys saying that are drinking too much coffee
Traffic moves left to right, so we fly left to right. Wish it were more complicated than that...but, humans are creatures of habit (fortunately, deer are too!).
So, there is a useless hypothesis; we fly left to right because we drive that way.
Can anyone on the forum confirm that those countries that drive right to left also fly RC that way?
Tom
08-21-2014, 06:22 AM
#239
Banned
"Perhaps most interesting is a reference to Henry Ford designing the first car with a steering wheel on the left. This, probably so dash controls etc. could be operated with the dominant hand."
I don't think so. I believe it was copied from the European, (England perhaps) where they drove on the other side of the street from us.
Les
I don't think so. I believe it was copied from the European, (England perhaps) where they drove on the other side of the street from us.
Les
08-21-2014, 06:38 AM
#240
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Simple answer to a complex question. In 40+ years of helping people learn to fly model airplanes at our field, which is normally flown with a right hand pattern, right handed people have trouble flying right hand landing pattern when learning. Left handed people have trouble flying left hand landing pattern while learning. Ergo, it's a right brain left brain thing. It's something you can learn to ignore with enough practice and then it becomes second nature, but we still have flyers who have flown for 40+ years who can't do a right hand approach! Most common complaint is that the plane seems to be diving on the final turn when doing the right hand approach, probably something to do with coordinating ailerons and elevator?
Larry
Larry
08-21-2014, 07:06 AM
#241
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If you have a mid wing plane, try doing some slow figure 8 and take note of your required inputs. That will show you the difference. it is easier to actually see what is happening with mid wing planes.
It is similar to helicopters turn easier right than left due to gyroscopic precession. The heli must overcome this force to make a left turn.
It is similar to helicopters turn easier right than left due to gyroscopic precession. The heli must overcome this force to make a left turn.
08-21-2014, 10:41 AM
#243
Because Only Stupid can turn Left!! Look at NasCar and the "sports" followers!! Only Guy's who can turn Left in a race, and only those who drink beer to the left......lol. Truly a great image of the good Ole' USA!!
Last edited by RCFlyerDan; 08-21-2014 at 10:45 AM.
08-21-2014, 11:14 AM
#245
I still say it's poor initial instruction. I've seen many people and instructors who will never really master this Hobby/Sport.
That doesn't really matter so long as they fly safe. We here to have FUN and no two pilots are created equal. We make exceptions for the not so gifted pilots amoung us. We all know who they are. Those are the guys we allow to do a left hand 270 tear drop approach when flying a right hand pattern.
That doesn't really matter so long as they fly safe. We here to have FUN and no two pilots are created equal. We make exceptions for the not so gifted pilots amoung us. We all know who they are. Those are the guys we allow to do a left hand 270 tear drop approach when flying a right hand pattern.
Last edited by HoundDog; 08-21-2014 at 11:16 AM.
08-21-2014, 11:44 AM
#246
Senior Member
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If you have a mid wing plane, try doing some slow figure 8 and take note of your required inputs. That will show you the difference. it is easier to actually see what is happening with mid wing planes.
It is similar to helicopters turn easier right than left due to gyroscopic precession. The heli must overcome this force to make a left turn.
It is similar to helicopters turn easier right than left due to gyroscopic precession. The heli must overcome this force to make a left turn.
08-21-2014, 01:29 PM
#249
08-21-2014, 02:00 PM
#250
Senior Member
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Yes go figure .... I went out one day and just kept flying a right hand pattern over and over till i lost any fear for the right hand turn ... I still slip my cub better from the left than the right though, but slip equally well left or right with a U-Can-Do (Right wing or Left wing down) no matter.