CFIs will probably chuckle at this question, but for a guy who's always flown left seat, what do you do to prepare for your first flight in the wrong seat? I don't have a specific reason to try it, but I've considered giving it a try to make a few laps around the pattern just to see what it's like. I have one takeoff and an hour or so right seat in a Caravan, but landing is the tricky bit. I'm probably overthinking it. Thoughts?

After 1K hours CFI time, it’s like a switch flips in my brain. Don’t even have to think about it. To get started, the safe way is have a qualified flight instructor in the left seat, and he or she monitors your first few landings. For tailwheels, I’d suggest landing on prepared grass strips, as a bit of misalignment is much more likely to be a problem on asphalt or concrete. Good luck!

CParker wrote:CFIs will probably chuckle at this question, but for a guy who's always flown left seat, what do you do to prepare for your first flight in the wrong seat? I don't have a specific reason to try it, but I've considered giving it a try to make a few laps around the pattern just to see what it's like. I have one takeoff and an hour or so right seat in a Caravan, but landing is the tricky bit. I'm probably overthinking it. Thoughts?

You are not overthinking it, that is your good survival instinct kicking in. In the operation of any equipment with hand/foot controls, such as excavators, backhoes, and aircraft, there is a feedback loop to the brain that becomes near automatic with practice and repetition. Muscle memory is a slang for this complex neural-muscle interface. Changing the routine by now asking your right or left arm/hand to do what the other has done over perhaps thousands of hours is far from automatic and must be learned.

Typically, there is a response delay in the required action when initially switching seats. As an instructor and evaluator, I have seen this response over and over, I suggest flying with a qualified instructor that is comfortable letting you explore the envelope from the right seat before setting off on you own. Lastly, practice, practice, practice.

TR

Check your plane and make sure you actually have brakes in the right seat, some planes don't.

I fly often from either seat in my 108-3 in/out of a short, narrow strip. It's different, not so much takeoff but yes on landing. Go up with an instructor, start on a longer runway, and work yourself down. It just takes one mistake to wreck your airplane. And if you bring it up here, there is some concern.

I always thought it a funny phenomenon that flying a tandem/stick aircraft felt as natural as anything could, while flying from the right seat of a Cessna felt awkward and difficult.

But as the years passed, I spent more time in the right seat with friends who let me play meat servo for whatever reason. At first it was just cruise flight, or simple maneuvering to try out their airplane. But then scenarios occurred where I got to do a takeoff from the right seat, or in one case i needed an hour of dual for insurance but the rusty CFI didn’t feel comfortable in the right seat (it’s true.) That airplane didn’t have right side brakes and i had to direct/request the braking efforts

At some point the right seat lost all the awkwardness and my hands stopped telling my brain that it felt weird.

I remember one story here from someone who tried it alone, did the takeoff, and it felt so wrong they switched back to the left seat for the landing.

Also, it’s not just your hands. The difference in lateral sight picture from the right seat oddly has an effect.

I say just grab an experienced-in-type buddy you trust and put them in the left seat when you do it.

I started out the other way. The majority of my time was in tandem seat aircraft with stick in right hand and throttle in left. When we bought our Cessna I hadn't flown a side by side airplane in 10 or more years, least not regularly so I started out in the right seat for the first 15 or 20 hours to get familiar with the plane, then switched over to the left.

I stay comfortable in both seats, just depends on the mission.

My mileage really did vary! I struggled with flying from the right seat of the 206. The sight picture is so different than what I'm used to on the left. My first attempts were with an instructor, which was a good thing. He had me do slow flight, then a power off stall from the right seat. With my left hand on the throttle, I shoved the yoke forward with my right hand, just like I was cobbing the throttle for a stall recovery. But it was the yoke. The effect was dramatic, and emptied out the seat back pockets and dislodged some things that had gone missing over the last couple of decades. That was pretty disconcerting. I did it a couple more times, and got the hang of it. Then we went and tried some landings. I had trouble judging height above the runway and maintaining alignment, even looking way down at the end of the runway. It felt like my first lesson, and I think the airplane felt that way, too.

It didn't help that the copilot seat wasn't fully adjustable like the pilot seat. I'm 6' 3", and I was sitting a lot higher in the right seat than in the left. So I bought a fully adjustable seat and installed it into the copilot position so I could put it at the same level that I'm used to on the left. That helped some, but even after a fair amount of practice, I still suck at landing from the right seat. Old dog, maybe. After all of that, it turns out that there's not really much call for me to take off or land from the right seat anyway. When my son and I went to Alaska last year, we swapped seats every time we alternated PIC duties. It's not a big deal. The fully-adjustable seat weighs about 20 lbs. more than the stock copilot seat, but it's very comfortable and I haven't been inclined to take it out.

Not being able to fly from the right seat has doused my Walter Mitty fantasies of trying a flying job or instructing, but that ship has sailed anyway. I'm ok with things they way they are. I wish you better success than I had, though.


Terry

I would be scared to try my 180 from the right seat. Funny though, back in 1972 when I took lessons in my Dad's Piper PA16, after about 8 or 9 hrs I was ready to solo but not old enough.We were in Iowa for the summer and took the plane back to Virginia where we lived at the time. Dad was telling a new pilot that had just received his license in a Cessna 150 how good I was. So, we went up with me in the right seat and he let me land it. It was a beautiful landing and I did just like my instructor had taught me. Stall it on with the yoke pulled back. After we got out that new pilot told Dad that it was a great landing but he thought the tail was going to hit. I guess I was so new that left or right didn't make much difference. Years and hours later, after flying my Piper PA12 for years, I got checked out in my 180. I was giving my Mom (not a pilot) a ride and I landed a little crooked making a slight left turn. No biggie but I still remember her saying "couldn't you tell you were crooked".

Not too many years ago I thought I wanted to be an instructor. I borrowed a friends 175 with 0-360, took my non-pilot girlfriend with me, I flew from the right seat. Went up and did steep turns, slow flight, and basic stuff and a couple landings. I thought it would feel weird, and it did, but I flew as good or better from the right seat. I did CFI training in the right seat in a 172, the only thing I noticed was the different sight picture for on steep turns, nothing felt particularly odd.
A few months later in Alaska, getting Alaska time, I was right seat in the 206. I had at that time about 0 hours flying a 206, greased every landing and never really felt awkward. I have not flown my 180 from the right seat, but I'd suspect it wouldn't be an issue. I'd try it first on a good runway with more than 1500' though.

To me its more odd feeling to go from a fully loaded caravan to flying a 180. Every time I got back in the 180 I felt like I really had to pay attention.

I'm the guy who swapped seats. I did two takeoffs and landings from the right seat, first was a greaser, second was a rodeo. Went up to 2500 feet and swapped to the left seat. I had about 500 hours in my 170 at the time. Was a stupid move.

I think it was one of the things that showed me that I was a one trick pony. I try to fly different things occcasionally, but never have enough time in them to get really comfortable.

My sons Citabria, and now the Cub I own haven't really broadened my skillset, but I do try to get better all the time. Feel pretty comfortable in anything that lands at 50 mph. Being current is the best for me. I still do circuits regularly. Just wish I had started flying sooner...

…

I’ve got a buddy who switched to the right seat, while at about 10 feet AGL or so, by pulled the throttle rather than pushing as he intended during landing.

Not really my story to tell but wanted to get the data point out there.

I had about 80 hours in the right seat and about half as many landings, in a beaver on floats of all things, at the beginning of my flying adventure. Thirty years ago… Turned 60 last year and know I have no business at this point taking off and landing from the right.


Rocket