Flying from the right seat

[corethatthermal]

There seems to be a lack of solid understanding in the industry WRT flying from the RH seat. I have not found any regulation that prohibits me flying in the RH seat of an A/C with dual controls and no accessibility or competency issues. Can anyone point to a TC reg or guidance letter pertaining to this subject?

[Redneck_pilot86]

Some aircraft manuals (C208) comes to mind specify "a minimum crew of one in the left seat" but absent of that, flying from the right is totally legal. Instructors do it all the time.

[corethatthermal]

Perhaps there is a misunderstanding that the right seat PIC needs to be an instructor AND operating with a student in the Left seat? DAR had pointed out that a TC inspector thought so and others I spoke to thought it was a law also!
Personally, I have done enough RT seat flying that i feel competent in all conditions BUT it is always a little awkward and so I have to work harder at it to maintain the same APPARENT level of competence in worst case scenarios as flying from the LT seat.

[PostmasterGeneral]

Sometimes if I’m bored I’ll fly from the back seat

[2R]

Check your POH / AFM some aircraft are specific and require a pilot in the left seat . The C208 states it clearly in the POH.

Have you had the broom handle training ?
The Broom handle technique is used at some flight schools to prepare new flight instructors for right seat conversion . To eliminate the parallax bias that someone develops by only flying from the left , the convert first walks about with the broom pole under the right armpit to establish their bias in relation to the longitudinal axis .
Walking and turning and pointing exercise complete ,time to do the same with the pole under the left armpit .
This exercise eliminates the bias and you can switch from left to right and left again without tearing the tires off on landing .
It is a great exercise and fun to do and even more fun to watch sceptics learn how to judge how to line up the planes longitudinal axis in the direction it is travelling on landing.. Ensuring equal tire wear and more time flying less time fixing bent aircraft .

[photofly]

How do you get into the plane with a broom handle under your arm?

[2R]

Ground training ,walking around the apron .
Teach me the circuit while walking a rectangle around a coin on the ground .The coin is used later for spot landings .
Describe and demonstrate the procedure for a steep turn while walking in a circle .
Airplanes are hard places to learn , walking through the procedures on the ground makes the lesson easy .

Stoics may disagree with active learning and prefer to sit in the shade

[goingnowherefast]

Never heard of the "broom handle" thing, and I hop back and forth between the left and right seats all the time. It's a 2-crew aircraft, so far from a 172

[PilotDAR]

How do you get into the plane with a broom handle under your arm?

Wasn't that a . Yeager thing with the Bell X-1?

Sure, as long as the flight manual does not specify which seat to fly from, choose the most comfy one. Be sure of yourself though...

On several occasions I have been flying left seat to a "company pilot" who seemed to have great difficulty flying from right seat. In the most memorable occasion about twenty years ago, the "Chief Pilot" of the 172 was right seat to me. During the flying, he mentioned that he would be checking out several of his pilots next week, and had not flown at all in the last six months. When my flight test was complete, I offered that perhaps he should fly a few right seat circuits, while I was a safety pilot in the left. His first two landings were really bad, and I took his third landing away from him, to save his 172 from him. I left him, suggesting that he seek further training and practice before any more flying, or certainly checking out other pilots!

[iflyforpie]

Nothing illegal about it unless it’s a limitation or placarded in the airplane, or specific to the operation, or something like access to controls of view of instruments or outside precludes safe flight. In my operation I think we only have to fly one sector every year to be right seat current but must occupy the left seat for single pilot operation.

Personally, I found flying from either seat to be a non-event. Parallax simply does not matter at the distances we deal with as pilots... and most overcorrect for parallax. We aren’t flying the Millennium Falcon.

If the extended centreline is beneath your ass crack, you’re flying precise enough in any side by side aircraft. If you’re going into a gate where a little more precision is needed, you’re going slow and have mashallers to help.

[Eric Janson]

If the extended centreline is beneath your ass crack, you’re flying precise enough in any side by side aircraft. If you’re going into a gate where a little more precision is needed, you’re going slow and have mashallers to help.

A lot of the automated docking systems are designed specifically for someone sitting in the left seat - Heathrow comes to mind.

My Airline only allows the LHS Pilot to taxi.

[Eric Janson]

deleted duplicate post

[Heliian]

The flight manual is going to tell you which side you need to fly from for single pilot operations.

It all has to do with controls and location of instruments.
Just remember, most helicopters are right seat captain.

[complexintentions]

If the extended centreline is beneath your ass crack, you’re flying precise enough in any side by side aircraft. If you’re going into a gate where a little more precision is needed, you’re going slow and have mashallers to help.

A lot of the automated docking systems are designed specifically for someone sitting in the left seat - Heathrow comes to mind.

My Airline only allows the LHS Pilot to taxi.

To be a bit picky this isn't correct at LHR - all main stands fitted with automated docking systems that can be used from either seat. (VDGS "Safedock"). To be honest I haven't seen parallax-type docking on an international gate in many years, and even then only in a couple random airports in India or ME.

As far as right-seat taxi, is that just a policy or due to having no tiller on the right?

[AirFrame]

On my 4th or 5th solo flight I hopped into the right seat of the Cessna 150 I was learning in and did the entire flight from there. Startup to shudown. When I walked back into the flying school afterwards, the owner of the flying school chewed me out for it. He couldn't cite a regulation prohibiting it.

Didn't have any issues with parallax, but then again I grew up sitting in the right seat of whatever I rode in. Cars, airplanes, etc. Didn't feel any different visually.

[switchflicker]

I think the flying school was upset not because of the law, but because you were trained and authorized left seat and not trained right seat.
I would have also made an issue of this

[valleyboy]

does not that famous canadian demonstration group fly from the right seat depending on their place in the formation?

[iflyforpie]

does not that famous canadian demonstration group fly from the right seat depending on their place in the formation?

I thought they all flew from the right seat? I think most side by side military trainers are like that because it puts throttle in the left hand.

[valleyboy]

I actually witnessed them taxiing out in T Bay once and there was a split between left and right seat but that was many years ago.

[BTD]

Look at the pic. Left side formation sits on right. Right side formation sits on left. Line astern seems to be either. I’d guess depending on where they were the previous season, or perhaps based on show maneuvers. That is speculation on my part though.

https://images.app.goo.gl/GiYAEE5SSAXqJRw39