I’ve been flying sims with my MS force feedback II since FS 2004 right-handed.
Just Three months ago I bought the Thrustsmaster TCA stick and Throttle quadrant, and have flown left- handed ever since. As an added bonus which I did not anticipate, is you can now have left hand on the stick and right hand on the mouse at the same time, which negates having to custom map the hat switch on the stick to look up down left or right.
As far as the stick itself, I became used to it very quickly. Only way to fly the airbus, unless you like to fly right seat IMO.
I have the thrustmaster tm16000 hotas and from the start always used right hand. I also have a small homecockpit with yoke in which I am sitting on the right, throttle quadrants trim wheel amd even radios on the left. Its just much more comfortable for me this way and I dont care if its “realistic”
Right handed with a gladiator joystick in the left seat and during cruise outside view to enjoy the scenery. With the pmdg comming hopefully soon (flying joystick instead of joke) this wil be “as real as it gets” lol.
No, it is fully intuitive fly any airplane with the stick in the right hand and the throttle in the left hand.
I sometimes wonder how Airbus pilots can control the plane with the left hand when not being left-handed, and how people from UK and Japan shift the gears of their cars with the left hand.
Yes, it seems Americans particularly have a problem over this. Here in the UK, whenever we hire a car in mainland Europe (if we don’t take our own car), we just…drive on the other side in a left-hand drive car, with no problem at all.
Almost all of my real-life flying was in single-seaters or tandems. I have a few hours P1 in the left seat of a motor glider and a C-172. I have a few hours in a Stampe and a Tiger Moth, other than that, I have about 300 hours in gliders, singles and tandems. So I fly with my right hand.
If I was ever in that situation that many of us dream about, “Is there any passenger who can fly a plane?” I would fly from the right seat.
Strange at first to fly left handed with a stick.
However, cockpit views are usually set up for Captain’s side and having my right hand free to use the mouse is much more natural.
After a little bit of practice (approximately 10 landings), there’s now no difference in my landing rate between left or right handed flying.
I did until I bought the TCA airbus stick and quadrant then swapped over. It felt impossible at first but within a day or so it felt completely natural.
I say swap over and force yourself to fly leftie for a week, then you’ll be ambidextrous!
