wera710

wera710

Well Known Member
Ok, you all may laugh at me for this one...I've been flying my entire life as a lefty. And by lucky coincidence, I AM a left handed. One of the happiest days of my aviation life was the first time I looked in the trainer I was about to fly and saw it had to be flown left handed. Felt like cheating somehow, since everything else in the world was made for all you "wrong" paws. lol.

So, my conundrum. I've taken the dive and purchased an RV-8. My father and I had planned on building but sadly he passed away, leaving my interest in driving rivets sadly lacking. I'd rather just FLY. So...since I am adopting someone else?s pride and joy, has anyone any experience in converting a RV to a RIGHT side throttle quadrant? I see folks set 6s up for left hand throttle operation and am wondering how tough it would be to do the opposite on an 8?

Thanks for any and all advice. And Keith, if you are reading this, "just reach down and grab a pair and fly right handed like the rest of us" doesn't COUNT! hehe.
 
Welcome

Scott, first off, welcome to VAF.

Second, sorry to hear about your dad--------

Now, as to the conversion------I would start off by checking with the factory, you just might get lucky.

And, if no joy there, someone here will probably be able to help.

I am willing to bet that it can be done-------just dont know if the end will justify the means.

Jay Pratt might be a good source-------DBA RV central. He has done a bunch of 8s.

http://www.vansairforce.net/rvcentral.htm

Good luck, and lastly, welcome to the site.
 
I'm a lefty too, but would much rather fly a tandem style airplane with a right handed stick and left throttle. Just think backwards... :D

L.Adamson
 
Golly, being left handed, I thought that meant the throttle should be on the LEFT side. ;)

I've never questioned a right handed world accepting the throttle position.
 
Scott,
I started flying about 1st grade with my dad.
Grown up flying.
The more you fly and understand flying, the less it matters which side
of the aircraft you are situated on ( I started on the right side).
Try flying with a friend (co pilot side) in a side by side and you will get used to it.
The situation is not that much different.
As they say ..."Time in makes the difference!"
Good luck !
Steve (fuse 81604)
 
When I started acro training in a Zlin 242, I was a bit nervous about having to fly with the stick in my left hand. All my previous stick airplanes were right hand. Turned out to be no problem, the motor skills are there, now if you want me write my name with my left hand we are in trouble.:)

To swap throttle already installed will be some work. I would imagine, big time non-standard controls would be a resale killer.

Good luck with your decision and happy flying.
 
Just some input...

I just did my transition training with Mike Seager. I'm used to flying with right hand on stick. left throttle for almost 90% of my hours. My normal day to day steed has right stick/ left throttle and I'm right handed. Flew with Mike for a day, about 2.5 hours and 20 landings. I didn't even think about the hand swap until that evening. It's totally a non-event and shoudl take you all of three seconds to get used to it. My 2-cents is that the PITA of swapping the throttle far out-weighs the time it takes to fly with the other hand.

Jim
2 weeks and counting!
 
Consider other things.

Scott,
I have to agree with others here and say that with most people the right to left hand transition is not difficult.
Having said that, if you do decide to make the conversion, don't forget to consider other things such as the position of radios and switches. If you put the stick in your left hand, can you still operate other things with your right. this can turn out to be a real problem. When I built a SBS airplane with center stick, it was a real challenge to make it ergonomical.
 
Scott, Learning to fly with your other hand will be a non-event. First time I flew a left hand stick center throttle it felt a little strange taxiing out but about the time the tail came up I didn't even think about it. I fly several airplanes and jump from left stick, right stick and left or right yoke and don't think about it. I even fly a UTVA 66 that is side by side with right hand stick and left throttle. That one is the biggest PITA because you have to change hands all the time for various controls and working on the throttle linkages is a nightmare. Go fly a Citabria or something first before you decide to reinvent the wheel. Don
 
Devil is in the Details

wera710 said:
........converting a RV to a RIGHT side throttle quadrant?.......am wondering how tough it would be to do the opposite on an 8?........
Click to expand...
I'll attempt to answer your question a bit more directly than has been offered so far. A right hand throttle quadrant installation is certainly a doable project. You should be aware that it will not likely be quick or easy though. Assuming you have the werewithal to modify an existing quadrant for right hand operation or can buy one made for your purposes, there are several other considerations you should be aware of.

Did the original builder install a right side console per plans? If so, does it contain circuit breakers, switches or other objects? If so, all must be relocated and the associated wiring rerouted to free up that space to accomodate a right hand throttle quadrant.

In addition, you can anticipate having to buy all new quadrant control cables of predetermined custom length. The lengths of those cables will be dependent upon many things but essentially it comes down to how and where you plan to route them. New firewall penetrations are likely. The original penetrations will have to be plugged with fire and fume safety in mind. FWF planning and execution to accomodate the new cable routings will have to be dealt with.

Further complicating the installation and perhaps the most daunting of all is the forward baggage compartment. You will have to deal with getting the cables past it. If you decide to go through it as seems most likely, you must develop a solid plan to keep the cables isolated and protected from objects stowed within that baggage compartment.

Finally, these are merely the points to come to my mind and I am sure there are any number of ways to approach the task. Always expect the unexpected but realize that installing a right hand throttle quadrant is probably going to be much more costly, technically challenging and time consuming than might appear upon first blush.
 
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I think Rick's comments are an excellent complement to all those posted previously.

Something that nobody else has mentioned here is that for you to fly RH stick/LH throttle actually gives you an advantage over all the right handed folks. That's because the hand with which you have the greatest dexterity is going to be free to do all the tasks that really require dexterity. Think about it - how comfy would you be trying to tune radios, copy clearances etc with your right hand? Since your right hand is going to be on the stick you've got your "best hand" available for all the really tough tasks. In your mind this is a disadvantage, but in practical reality, it's a huge advantage.
 
Right hand Quad's

Hi All
Next week I will be running some CT83 tops and I will make a few "Lefty":D.
Please send me a PM if you want to buy an Left hand CT83 Delux quadrant for your RV8:)
 
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Thanks for the feedback everyone! I kind of figured it would not be worth the hassles involved. But being an Obstinate SOB I thought I'd ask just in case someone else had done it and had a simple solution. My main thinking behind it would be the whole muscle memory thing. When the poo hits the fan, I am pretty confident of my skills...with the left hand on the stick. Hated the idea of floundering around in a nasty crosswind, dodging deer, birds and belligerent C-152s when using my non-dominant hand. lol.

Then again, I've got Cub time, Citabria time et cetera...but those are all low and slow and simple to land. Been flying a Luscombe for 20 odd years but that’s all left hand stick time unless I am fiddling with maps or handheld. Was mostly concerned about landing a hi-performance RV with the "wrong" hand. As the saying goes, "Pilot by Choice, Left Handed by the Grace of God"

Probably much ado about nothing. Oddly enough, I can do most non-writing tasks right handed. Radio work, computor mouse, batting or catching, shooting handguns in a pinch...Just gotta wrap my brain around flying that way I guess.
 
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wera710 said:
Probably much ado about nothing. Oddly enough, I can do most non-writing tasks right handed. Radio work, computor mouse, batting or catching, shooting handguns in a pinch...Just gotta wrap my brain around flying that way I guess.
Click to expand...

Same here. I hammer and saw left handed but prefer precision sheet metal cutting with my right.

L.Adamson
 
w710...

One of the more "stressful" times in an airline pilot's career is the RHS => LHS change. It often involves a change in type / manufacturer (Boeing to Airbus), possibly flying environment (Longhaul to Shorthaul), and of course a good chance of failing :eek:

It also involves a chance in hands between controls / throttle... yet I have not heard anyone comment after the event that it was an issue. I jump between LHS of an Airbus (LH for stick), centre of an RV-8 and LH and RH of a Jet Provost (RH for stick) and it doesn't cause me a moment's thought.

Nobody has mentioned "resale value" which might be adversely affected by a RH throttle quadrant?

Andy
RV-8 G-HILZ
www.g-hilz.co.uk
 
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