Twin throttle on BH5

[Charlie Mike]

Hello,
I think it has been discussed here already, but I can't find infos on the forum about the twin throttle mount on BH5 as seen here:
Capture d’écran, le 2021-10-09 à 13.36.07.png

I've learned to fly and flew a bunch of hours with left hand throttle on planes which were all stick I'd like to keep it that way in my BH

Thanks

[Mark Goldberg]

The throttle in the middle has a friction lock. The left side throttle does not. Each has its own cable which goes to the two sides of the injector "arm" where the throttle cables connect. With a rod end bearing on each side. Mark

[Charlie Mike]

Thanks a lot Mark.
I was thinking of something more complicated
Simpler the better !

[svyolo]

Obviously you can do whatever you want on your build. But you quickly get used to whatever is there. Instructors often switch seats during the same day and switch what their hands do. It is just not an issue, other than preference. My preference is I simply don't care, and put the controls in the middle where they are in most planes.

The most extreme example is hang gliders vs airplanes. Your hands push forward to go up, and pull back to go down/speed up. Left and right are opposite as well. I learned to fly this as a very experienced pilot. I was a bit worried about it at first. I got over that worry pretty quickly. Was never an issue.

[Pbruce]

On a “stick” airplane I prefer to fly from the right seat, unless it’s just not possible to see the instruments or work the ancillary controls. (for some reason, while flying a “wheel” airplane I don’t seem to care). I mention this because people forget that you can fly from whatever seat you wish. it just takes a few hours to get used to, but it’s easily doable, obviously, since you learned to fly from one side in the first place.

One of the great things about some of the dual EFIS systems is that you can switch the displays from one side to the other and then sit on either side without compromising anything. Depending on what level of avionics you are going to install, this can be a seamless option. You wouldn’t add that expensive equipment for that purpose though.

Ultimately, almost everybody can learn to get comfortable flying with their other hand.

[PaulSA]

I spent my first 15 years of flying in the RAF switching left/right hand flying. Then I did 5 years of civilian as a co-pilot with my right hand and then the last 25 as a Captain. That was mainly left hand but still did some right hand when instructing. Since retiring, I usually fly left hand but occasionally fly from the right seat or in-line - it's a total non-event and I certainly wouldn't go to the extra complication of fitting a second throttle.

[Mark Goldberg]

Paul - the reason for doing this is many people go for demo rides in the right seat, and their experience is better if they can grab a throttle. I agree that it is no big deal to fly with either hand. Mark

[Hewko]

Interestingly switching hands for common tasks has been shown to improve brain function as we age and is a recommended technique for slowing down dementia as we age. Switching seats might keep us flying longer.

[PaulSA]

I like that. I wouldn't say I am ambidextrous but I have no problem using a screwdriver or drill with my left hand. I guess if someone is very one-handed they might want to put a second throttle in.

[predragvasic]

Musicians tend to be a bit more ambidextrous in general, since playing a musical instrument usually develops manual dexterity in the non-dominant hand to a much higher level than it would otherwise have. Not all instruments are equal, though. Piano, strings, harp get quite a lot of development; woodwinds a bit less, while brass don't really help much (at all) with the left hand.

Most of left-handed people have greater dexterity in their right hand than the opposite, since there are far too many common household tools that are built for right-handed use (can openers, scissors, etc). It is simply impossible for them to go through life without often having to use some of these tools in their non-dominant (right) hand.

Stick/yoke doesn't really require much dexterity in the non-dominant hand for successful manipulation. With the left seat being common PIC seat, and throttle being commonly at the centre of the console (under right hand), majority of right-handed pilots do tend to use their left hand for the stick/yoke on occasion, without any trouble.

[Charlie Mike]

I fly both hands, no trouble, and I fly stick and yoke.

I prefer stick right and throttle left, I feel more confortable.
All the stick plane I flew in GA or military were like this.

For yoke planes, central throttle is fine

[whee]

Pretend your in a helicopter and sit in the right seat.

hmm, most of my post is missing. Sorry I don’t have time to retype and the singe line above doesn’t have context and seems rude. I didn’t mean it that way but I do think it’s the best solution.

[zkelley2]

I'm right handed and my left hand is slightly better at flying than my right, likely due to more time in the left seat than right. But I sit in both seats at work, and other than the parallax being different and usually being a few feet off center line landing from the right seat, it's a non-issue. I certainly wouldn't add weight, complexity or build time to something that would be a non issue 2 hours into flying.

[rodsmith]

I recently flew a Pipistrel motor glider, with left hand on the stick. Seemed somewhat awkward because I haven't done that before. I'm sure I will get used to it after a few hours in the Bearhawk.

[JimParker256]

I suspect that rodsmith will adapt to flying left-handed pretty quickly.

After logging 1500+ hours in Army helicopters (right hand on the cyclic stick, left hand on the collective/throttle), when I first started flying airplanes it felt a bit weird, what with holding a "yoke" with left hand, and throttle with right. But after a few minutes of flying, it was "normal."

Fast forward a few years, to when I purchased a Citabria... Now back to a stick in the right hand, but with a throttle that required a "push" with left hand to add power. (In a helicopter, you "pull" the collective lever for "more power.") That part came pretty quickly, since other airplane throttles work the same way, but transitioning to those infamous heel brakes had me really worried. Then I flew the plane, and while those brakes felt a bit awkward at first, after just a short time taxiing the plane around the ramp, it was "normal" to reach for the brakes with my heels instead of my toes. I was amazed at how quickly it came to feel "normal" to me. (Now I actually prefer heel brakes in a taildragger, I think.)

My current plane (RANS S-6 Coyote II) has dual sticks, and a center-mounted throttle, so from the left seat, you fly with your left hand on the stick. This time around, I'm not sure I actually even felt awkward when I first flew it. If I did, it was more about learning a new plane's character than control placement.

The bottom line is that your brain doesn't have to re-learn much to transfer the "commands" to the left arm rather than the right... You adapt pretty darn quickly!

[Charlie Mike]

Pretend your in a helicopter and sit in the right seat.

hmm, most of my post is missing. Sorry I don’t have time to retype and the singe line above doesn’t have context and seems rude. I didn’t mean it that way but I do think it’s the best solution.

No trouble.

The best I can do I guess, is to put both throttles and try flying both hands for more than a few hours. I'll see if I can feel confortable and I can always remove the left throttle and cap the hole.

Thanks everyone for your inputs.

[Nev]

Same as what others have said. I flew from both seats my whole flying career, often changing seats the same day. It always feels slightly weird when you change seats. Then you just forget about it. If I had to swap seats after not flying from that side for a while, then I usually found myself thinking about it consciously, until my mind was absorbed elsewhere. You'll be surprised how quickly you get used to it.