Originally Posted by
bugcollections
You have brought up, to me at least, a very interesting question. Rusty pilot here, had not flown extensively for almost 40 years but recently got current and bought a Legend Cub. Have about 700 hours of flight time. In my flight review to get current again my CFI asked which way it was easier to turn. Without hesitation my answer was left. He asked why. I said because it's how your brain is programed. The answer he was looking for, as he told me, was the P factor. Got to thinking a lot about it. I am right side and right eye dominant and do everything right handed except anything that takes a swing stance. Baseball, throw right, bat left; golf left handed, fighting stance is southpaw. All of that is natural. First time I ever swung a baseball bat it was left handed. Cannot swing right handed. But, it has always been easier for me to turn left, be it in a plane, a race car, a boat, laying down a motorcycle or bicycle. And I also have about 250 hours in a modified VP-1 with a VW engine, which turns opposite or clockwise as viewed from the cockpit, so the P factor in a VW powered plane should be to the right; but it was still easier and more natural to turn left, land in a left crosswind, and spin to the left. Have also a lot of tail dragger time in Luscombes with side by side seating, left hand on the stick and right hand on the throttle, still easier and more natural to turn left, land in a left crosswind and spin to the left. Lot of time in tandem seating, such as the cub, same thing. Also have raced formula single seat race cars: for me it is more natural and easier to execute left hand turns than right handers on a road course. Ever see kids lay their bikes over and do a 180 spin; my memory is that they normally do it to the left. Same for laying down a motorcycle; for me easier and more natural to lay it down to the left. Now I do understand the P factor, but I speculate that for most people it is more natural to turn to the left regardless of the stick, yoke or cockpit layout or which way the prop is turning. Or maybe it's just me because I am mixed up on which way my body wants to function. Maybe a research study surveying 1,000 old fighter pilots would answer the question.