i discovered the reason why everybody turns left after playing rof

[mazex]

Originally Posted by M2morris

Interesting story mazex. I had a similar thing happen to me on a glider flight. The instructor had me convinced that we were going to release at 2000ft, but right after we passed 200ft he pulled the release on me. He didn't say a word, just sat back and rode along. I put the nose down a little to maintain speed as the tow plane peeled away and I made a right-hand turn into the wind, which was by his earlier instruction, and I did a 180 back to the field for a 'down wind' landing. It was more of a cross-wind down- wind landing. After we came to a stop, he got out and said "Its all yours, take it up" and I was off on my first solo. Just had to get it golfcart-towed to the tow-plane again. What a day.
But I always thought that the left pattern was most common from the traditional stick and rudder planes of the old days and becasue most people are right handed and its just more natural to turn left with your right had on the stick and the other controls are normally on the left side anyway with that setup. But I am right handed and I don't mind right-patterns or right-turns, it doesnt seem to bther me that much.
Intersting thread.

200ft? What a bastage My instructor did it the same way as you describe before the incident I described but then we where at 300 meters when we where supposed to tow to 700m Saying "Oups, it seems I pulled the release handle?" Gave me way more time to think than you...

[winny]

I read somewhere that, especially with a stick, that there's a certain degree of 'human nature' involved as well. It was something to to with people subconsciously preferring to push in the direction that their palm / forearm is facing as opposed to pulling with their fingers when it's a reflex action.

It makes sense because if you pull right there's always the possibility of losing your grip. Left has the full weight of your arm behind it.

Can't remember where I read it. But it was definitely fighter pilot related.

[Outlaw]

If stick forces are high, then right handed pilots will obviously be able to roll into a left hand turn faster. Also, as was mentioned earlier, almost everything else is managed with the left hand so moving to a left hand grip or assist is not without risk. Since all military pilots from the era are right handed pilots (because there were no left handed cockpits) that's the way it was.

Engine torque and P-factor are also issues but center stick pilots would still tend to turn left even if they weren't.

Such a simple explanation that has nothing to do with the subconscious.

Also, precession occurs no matter what direction you turn. The only difference is the direction of the precession.

Rolling against the torque is just that, rolling against the torque, and it causes no precession. The roll against the torque is what was so difficult in the old rotary engined aircraft.

--Outlaw.

[ATAG_Snapper]

Doesn't Aussie have the largest airfield in the world? Otherwise known as the Outback?

[ATAG_Doc]

Originally Posted by mazex

And to clarify why I started talking about if it's the other way around down under is because I have always had a feeling it has something to do with the Coriolis effect that all pilots that has studied meteorology knows about (and many more certainly) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_effect

Looking around on the net there seems to be some understandning that the "normal" righthandedness has something to do with it. Look at golfers... Almost all do the swing in a rotation "to the left" where the club starts on the right. And like I said, go to the Alps and look at the standard "stop turn" for people going downhill skiing. Left in almost all cases.

And even though I have many hundreds of flying hours IRL it still feels better to turn left

I consider the effects of the Coriolis effect in Call of Duty very often.