Left Hand Throttle/Mixture

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 11:40 am

I've been contemplating mounting my throttle/mixture on the left side. I know several have done this in the side by side airplanes, and this has been talked about before. Any fresh thoughts on this?

The reason I'm thinking of doing this, is because after a weekend of flying my RV-7 in FS2004 using both hands, it ALMOST seems more natural to have the flight controls in my right hand (I know it's only flight sim, but my take offs and landings were MUCH better using my right hand). I've made arrangements

to finally start my tailwheel training in a Cub, which I think, will have left hand throttle, stick in the right hand.

Anybody else thinking of doing this?

Post by **Spike** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 1:47 pm

Im thinking of doing the exact opposite. Throttle Quadrant in the center for my right hand, so I can fly with the left. Either way, some of the same problems.

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 3:36 pm

I think Dan Checkoway did this. Personally, I think it would hurt resale value of the plane a little ( I know, I know, why would you ever sell it. That's what I used to say about my RV-4) I've been flying airplanes for the past 13 years now with the the throttle on the left and my right hand on the stick. I'm going to build my RV-7 stock. Throttle in the middle.

You can always fly it from the right seat.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 4:00 pm

Well, I paused a while before responding to this one. I had to think it over because initially I considered it too and wanted to revisit the idea. I suppose my answer is still the same.

Leave it in the center. I too learned to fly TD's with the power in my left hand... and still do!

OTOH, I learned to fly side by sides with the power in my right hand... and still do!

Was learning to fly a TD any harder because of this? I don't think so.

Nah... leave it in the stock position. A good pilot will be just fine with ANY configuration. Pilot skill is pilot skill!

YaknowwhattImean?

CJ

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 4:25 pm

I really doesn't matter to me what hand is doing what in any of the airplanes that I fly. I just did a checkride in the King Air last week from the right seat...engine out approaches and landings, right hand on the yoke, left on the power, no biggie.

I'm just trying to decide what feels more natural. The Diamonds are a good way to figure this out by flying each side. Both seats seem natural I guess. Maybe it was just the flight sim since I don't get a "feeling" of being there that the right hand stick feels more at home since I'm right handed. Without the seat of the pants feel, using my right hand was a little more intuitive in keeping the tail where it belongs...

tshort · Post by **tshort** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 8:58 pm

After careful consideration I have decided to put mine on the left.

Actually, I'm 99% sure that if I were building a -7 or a -9 I would put the quadrant on the left. Just seems more natural.

Thomas

1:1_Scale · Post by **1:1_Scale** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 10:02 pm

I think I'm going with a left hand quadrant, since being right handed, I'd undoubtedly crash the plane flying left handed

Actually, it just seems more natural to me in a plane with a stick.

What I'm having a harder time with, is do I make a center quadrant for the right seater, or a right hand quadrant for my left handed wife? Are dual quadrants feasable? I'm sure anything is possible with enough time/though/money

Dan A · Post by **Dan A** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 10:25 pm

My throttle quadrant is on the left! - - - - -Of course, I built an 8!!!

Dan

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 10:36 pm

1:1_Scale wrote:What I'm having a harder time with, is do I make a center quadrant for the right seater, or a right hand quadrant for my left handed wife? Are dual quadrants feasable? I'm sure anything is possible with enough time/though/money

Possible/feasible, yes. The tough part would be getting both throttles/props/mixtures to operate smoothly with little or no drag from one another since they are on opposite sides of the cockpit.

Wicked Stick · Post by **Wicked Stick** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 11:48 pm

Chad,

Sell your 7 kit and buy an 8 kit....problem solved

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 1:11 am

I'm wondering how much personal space a LH throttle would take up from the pilot. Anyone ever actually seen one installed in a side by side RV?

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 6:55 am

Wicked Stick wrote:Chad,

Sell your 7 kit and buy an 8 kit....problem solved

That's assuming there was a problem in the first place!

Besides, the tiny panel space in an -8 would be a hard one to overcome compared to the throttle positions "choices" in the -7!

CJ

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 6:56 am

Oh, yah... Scott.

Dan had done it.

CJ

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:33 am

I've seen Dan's airplane at OSH, and it didn't look that bad.

From his site...

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:34 am

Wicked Stick wrote:Chad,

Sell your 7 kit and buy an 8 kit....problem solved

That would create a whole new set of problems...

1:1_Scale · Post by **1:1_Scale** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:39 am

cjensen wrote:
1:1_Scale wrote:What I'm having a harder time with, is do I make a center quadrant for the right seater, or a right hand quadrant for my left handed wife? Are dual quadrants feasable? I'm sure anything is possible with enough time/though/money
Possible/feasible, yes. The tough part would be getting both throttles/props/mixtures to operate smoothly with little or no drag from one another since they are on opposite sides of the cockpit.

Yes, that's what I've been thinking about too. Since I'm a looong way from actually working inside a fuse, I don't know if any of my ideas are practicle or not, but I've been thinking of either a pushrod/bellcrank setup, or maybe some form on teflon lined cable/bellcrank, or maybe even an electronic solution (throttle by wire anyone?)

TomC · Post by **TomC** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 8:55 pm

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum but have been lurking for a while. I have flown John R's son in my plane as well as helped John do some riveting.

I have a 7A that I built with about 60 hours now. I built mine with the stock center throttle quadrant. My reasoning was this. When I fly with my left hand on the stick, I use my right hand to adjust the engine controls AND to do radio stuff. If a person had a left hand throttle and flew the stick with their right hand, wouldn't they have to change hands to tune the radio and then switch back to adjust the engine controls. This seems like alot of hand switching to me.

Just my $.02

Tom
RV-7A, N175TJ

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 8:58 pm

I have thoght about that, and I'm contemplating putting the radio on the bottom left of the panel if I do this.

Welcome, officially, to Rivetbangers Tom!

Got any pics of your -7A???

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:42 pm

TomC wrote:Hi All,

I'm new to this forum but have been lurking for a while. I have flown John R's son in my plane as well as helped John do some riveting.

I have a 7A that I built with about 60 hours now. I built mine with the stock center throttle quadrant. My reasoning was this. When I fly with my left hand on the stick, I use my right hand to adjust the engine controls AND to do radio stuff. If a person had a left hand throttle and flew the stick with their right hand, wouldn't they have to change hands to tune the radio and then switch back to adjust the engine controls. This seems like alot of hand switching to me.

Just my $.02

Tom
RV-7A, N175TJ

Yes! They do! I'm an ace hand switcher. It gets especially fun in bumpy air. I can't tune the radio with my left hand to save my life.

1:1_Scale · Post by **1:1_Scale** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 11:17 pm

That's a valid point Tom, and one I hadn't thought of

I'm a novice with a whopping 22.x hours of flight time, I visualize needing to do smoothly coordinated throttle/stick inputs for takeoffs & landings, where radio inputs are generally independent of throttle inputs. It could be that I simply haven't come across a situation where I need to be working the throttle and radio at nearly the same time, so if anyone has any input on that, I'm all ears

As stated earlier, I still have a long way to go before I have to finalize my decision

That's one of the best things about building a kit- you build YOUR airplane. I have several pilots in my family that just don't get why you would spend so much time building an airplane when you could just go out and buy one. But they're also the same kind that will write of an R/C airplane if they can't fix it on the spot with some duct tape