jetmech05

Way is the island on American aircraft carriers on the right. It is the way our brains work when in trouble it is more natural to turn left... Just like a beginner that is right handed makes better left hand turns... It is a right handed world

ARUP

These (P-factor and GP) ARE forms of torque. I was a physics wizz in the day. One of my physics instructors was a Nobel Prize winner, Paul Chu, if that makes any difference (I think not).

Steve Landron

Allot of fields I have flown at are setup for left hand traffic patterns, however I have flown at many fields which are both left and right patterns. As an example, a few times while flying in LA at Sepulveda Basin, late afternoon winds would shift and the pattern would change from left to right. It took a bit to get used to because all day I was flying a left pattern and then I had to change to a right but it was not unbearable. For me the left hand pattern was comfortable because I was used to it, muscle memory if you will. It's really all about practicing and getting used to both ways building up your experience, If not at the flying field, practicing at home on the flight sim.

Steve

FSki

From the otherside of the pond.

I fly both lefthand and righthand patterns depending on the wind direction. When slope soaring I must admit that the landing pattern all depends on which end of the slope I'm flying from and what the best circuit is, so I guess I don't have a preference, but I do note some fliers have a preference and will even land downwind rather than do the other circuit, but at our field that happens to be a clockwise circuit as the other approach means you have to more carefully judge your distance from some trees and check they aren't about to jump out and get you.. My natural instinct when rolling is to roll to the right, but I think that this is because being a mode 2 flier it's more natural to pull the stick than to push it.

In my motorcycling days, righthand corners were the most practised due to driving clockwise round the roundabouts, as it was "compulsory" to either get the footpeg or knee to kiss the tarmac............................ (but not applicable to cruisers...........)

TomCrump

[QUOTE=exfed;11699985]An interesting thread, and many good explanations. Let me add a couple. Have you ever seen a Kentucky Derby or Indy 500 race run in a CW direction?

/QUOTE]


Formula One, thought by many to be the highest form of automotive competition, races clockwise.

rgburrill

Not hard to figure out at all. The left side is the port side. Traditionally ships load and unload from the left/port side.

rgburrill

I, too, hate right hand turns. And I remember one young lady from Great Planes many years ago making the same comment. I have a hard time visualizing the roll attitude of the aircraft in a right turn or right roll. I think the idea that it has something to do with left brain dominance is probably correct. It would be interesting to do a study of artists who fly to see if they have the same issue with left turns. (Artists are supposed to be right brain dominant.)

dirtybird

My Feedback: (5)

Nobody has guessed the real reason.
Most fliers fly mode 2 without a tray.
If you watch your thumb as it puts in a left aileron it does not travel perpendicular to the transmitter. It automatically puts in a small amount of up elevator. So you have an automatic coordinated left turn .If you turn right, you get down elevator and you have to counteract that.
I bought a Multiplex radio because you can cant the stick up to 15 degrees from perpendicular in order to overcome that.
You can also do that with the new Jeti, But both of those transmitters are quite costly and it puts the trim buttons in an unnatural place.

AMA 74894

My Feedback: (1)

I fly mode II with no tray specifically (I do use a strap...) but I'm also a 'pinch' flyer... (I hold the sticks like pencils)
I must admit it is a little odd: I've always found the airplane 'WANTS' to turn to the left more than to the right.
I always perceived that as torque / p-factor, but it's the wind direction that dictates which way the landing pattern is flown.
(so, if we're flying a right hand pattern, I fly right hand turns... )
when I was a kid and still learning, I was taught to be very conscious of what my fingers were doing, and to simultaneously observe the airplane's movements.
(I can still hear my Dad in my head... "the airplane is NOT going to go where you want it to go.... it's going to go where YOU command it to go, OR it's going to go where IT wants to go....")
that said, even though torque makes the airplane roll faster to the left, I always found it EASIER to do consecutive axial rolls to the right....
(which is why I typically practice rolling to the LEFT.... I try not to spend too much time on the maneuvers that are easy for me )

georgek54

I also noticed that especially the beginners turn by instict always ccw. Should you order them (as an instructor) to turn right - and they get in panic!

Very strange indeed.

George

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

I do both ways and one is not any easier than the other to me. Normally as most have stated wind direction is key to standard circuit whether it be right or left pattern. It is a matter of habit that you form. Not sure why one would be harder than the other since you are just pushing the stick the other way. My radio sticks have the same pressure both ways

flycatch

My Feedback: (26)

It is all a matter of mental conditioning and that is why we are encouraged to practice "figure eight" maneuvers.

jlsimon

My Feedback: (164)

ARUP and RCRC are correct. Precession or p-factor is a gyroscopic effect caused by the spinning of the propeller. This gyroscopic effect on the airframe causes the aircraft to want to turn to the left. As a result when flying an aircraft one must apply input to the right to compensate. The higher the rpm, the more compensation is needed. So when flying your aircraft into a left turn, it seems easier to turn to the left. Conversely, it takes more effort to control the aircraft making a right hand turn. And I don't know about you, I don't want to work harder than I have to when flying my airplane. So I enjoy turning to the left which makes me tend to do it more, so I get better at it than going to the right. Like any other skill, you have to practice turning to right and eventually you become comfortable with it. Otherwise, you start to avoid turning to the right. At my field, I've seen pilots grimace and moan when they learn its a right-hand pattern. Its just too uncomfortable for them as they don't enjoy the how the airplane seems a little more uncontrollable to them making that right hand turn. They are just used to the airplane actually making the turn for them when going to the left.

Regards,
Jerry

DISCUS54

My Feedback: (211)

You wont see the ccw pattern being flown more than cw pattern around these parts...being in the Northern hemisphere practically all runways are laid out with the pilot stations south or southwest through southeast to the runways...simply to avoid flying with the sun in your eyes. The runways are predominately east/ westish with variations all the way to North. The prevailing winds are westerly so the majoriy of the time the pattern is cw to avoid landind with a tailwind. If the wind is CALM then i see the pattern reversed because guys are bored with the standard cw pattern and enjoy flying a different approach. Now if the only time you go to the field is on a CALM day then perhaps you might notice more ccw patterns.

Proptip

My Feedback: (3)

Just one more thought. P-factor and torque definitely is a factor in left hand turns especially at high angles of attack an high power settings. But why is it still easier to turn left instead of right at idle when in the landing pattern? My feeling is that most pilots are right handed. So it is more natural to PUSH the stick left than it is to PULL the stick right. If anyone has flown full scale aircraft with stick control you know what I mean. Just my thoughts after flying for more than 40 yrs. I still find myself concentrating a little more when flying right hand landing approaches with RC aircraft.

DISCUS54

My Feedback: (211)

You guys are might be overthinking this.

zacharyR

My Feedback: (5)

does it matter if your left handed ? do they like to turn left

how about in england with the oppset mode controler do they turn left ?

DISCUS54

My Feedback: (211)

Law of Primacy, that learned first is learned best.... Maybe the ccw guys learned that way. If you learned on a ccw pattern then a cw pattern will yield nothing new if you fly it a lot.

dwaynenancy

My Feedback: (62)

Which side of the horse do you mount? Which side do you drive, except in a boat? It seems that it's natural to be on the left side of what ever you are driving.

hookedonrc

You beat me to it....LOL

AMA 74894

My Feedback: (1)

Unless you're a helicopter pilot or an English (or Japanese) auto enthusiast

wjvail

My Feedback: (3)

All this discussion of P-factor, torque and coriolis affect are BS. Guys have trouble turning right because they are poor pilots and would do well to practice what they are not good at.

Yes the above mentioned effects are very real physical concepts but they are not the reason modelers can't or don't like to turn right. Your plane flies just fine in a right turn and any suggestion otherwise is BS.

We have a club member that simply can NOT turn right. If he has to land right to left, he will fly over the runway, over the pits, (to the near side of the runway - behind the flight line) and do left turns. I can tell you why he can't turn right and it doesn't include any physical airplane excuses.

Bill

wjvail

My Feedback: (3)

Actually there are a reasonable number of races run anti-clockwise too.

Review this for more info --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...a_One_circuits

FSki

Is it different in the Southern Hemisphere

wjvail

My Feedback: (3)

This is incorrect. This is an incorrect description of p-factor. In fact, most of the post that includes this quote is incorrect.