It is not a downside really. Think about the central gear changing stick in cars. Someone either left handed or right handed has to use unfavorable hand. On top of that, cars in UK and Japan etc. have the driver's seat on the right side, but the percentage of left-handed people is the same as countries where drivers sit on the left side. Human are very adaptive.
J-20 5th Gen Fighter Thread VI
- Thread starter siegecrossbow
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There are very, very few people in China who are left handed since they don’t provide the same kind of accommodations for left handed people as they do in the U.S. Left handed kids are typically “corrected” before they leave pre-school.
The topic of side sticks and handedness is interesting for other aircraft as well; the US has operated F-16s with side sticks (not to mention F-22s and F-35s) longer than China has (starting with J-20).
There are a few threads across the internet discussing this topic, though I haven't come across any definitive articles on the matter myself for how it is dealt with and whether left handed pilots are particularly disadvantaged.
I would also add that I don't think the position of the side stick should be that much different to having a centre stick for pilots in terms of their handedness, because a centre stick favours right handers as well (the throttle is still on the left).
There are a few threads across the internet discussing this topic, though I haven't come across any definitive articles on the matter myself for how it is dealt with and whether left handed pilots are particularly disadvantaged.
I would also add that I don't think the position of the side stick should be that much different to having a centre stick for pilots in terms of their handedness, because a centre stick favours right handers as well (the throttle is still on the left).
Jura The idiot
General
I guess I've missed the obvious
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
Doesn’t matter that much because you need both. The throttle controls are on your left. You need to coordinate both.
Well, I'm sure it doesn't matter "that much". But I suspect left-handers prefer controlling the stick with their left hand if given the preference, and so it matters at least a little. And so the question is if we are talking about maximizing pilot potential, is this little bit enough for them to block left-handers from the ranks of J-20 pilots. Though I guess if in China left-handers are forcibly switched to being right-handers early on, then this is not an issue. Or is it? Anecdotally speaking, my sister is naturally left-handed and was forcibly switched by my father as a pre-schooler, but she states she has some instinctive urge to use her left hand with new tasks. I am naturally right-footed but forcibly switched myself to primarily using my left foot in 1st grade, for kickball of all things, but I still snowboard down the hill left foot forward, like a right-footed person would. I don't know if there's scientific evidence behind it, but I suspect natural handedness may be a permanent feature of a brain.
I think what you described is true for most (or even all) HOTAS cockpits however, not only cockpits with side sticks.
After all, for cockpits with centre sticks, the throttle remains on the left, so for HOTAS operation you will have to operate your stick with your right hand anyway because your left hand will be on the throttle.
I would be interested to know if there are any fighter cockpits in the world where the control stick is capable of being used by the left hand normally.
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That's a good point. If that is the case then I suppose that all left-handers have always had to handle the stick with their right hand. Unless they don't usually let in left-handers. Do we know if this is official policy in any country?
Jura The idiot
General
here's a simple tip:
show a two-years old something through a monocular, give that monocular to him/her right after, and watch
Its a great question, and if you were to jump into the left seat of nearly every general aviation aircraft, you would be handling the yoke with your left hand and the throttle with your right, suprisingly that feels very natural.... the left seat is the Pilot in Command seat..... now if you were to switch to the right seat? you would handle the throttle with your left hand and yoke with your right hand, since we spend most of our time in the left seat, the right seat feels a little awkward.
but if you are a flight instructor almost all of your flying will be from the right seat? so its just a matter of getting used to it, and yes the PLA lets lefties fly, and they do very well. Its just a matter of acclimatization.
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