Gerry,
From an ergonomic point of view, I believe a dual throttle
arrangement in a Europa is ill advised. Here is my reasoning:
If the throttle for the left seat is on the left side of the
cockpit you create problems when your right hand needs to do other
things ( raise the gear, use the brake, tune a radio). You'll have to
switch hands right to left on the stick at critical times while flying.
This is not the best from a safety point of view. I know that
traditionally the stick is in the right hand and the throttle is in the
left hand. Trust me... you'll get used to flying with your left hand on
the stick really fast. If it is so very important to fly with your right
hand on the stick and left hand on the throttle... fly from the right
seat and build a new instrument panel with the flight instruments on
that side. They did this with the Slingsby Firefly which was used for
US Air Force initial training.
The Grob motorglider has a similar problem. The spoiler (traditional
way) is on the left side of the cockpit. If landing it like a glider,
with spoilers, and the engine idling... and a go around is required...
the spoilers need to be stowed (left hand), then the left hand goes to
the stick... and right hand to the throttle to add power. It gets very
confusing and several gliders have been crashed as a result.
Try to design the error out of your system.
I also don't like the hand brake on the console. Again your hand has
to choose where it is going to be. Throttle or brake? And it is easy to
hit the throttle ON while reaching for the brake. This has happened in
Europas... gets exciting!
I plan to build my Europa thus:
If flown as an airplane; principle seat is the left seat...
Airplane IFR flight instruments on the left side. Hydraulic brake on
both sticks... kind of like a bicycle hand brake lever but hydraulic
(Matco brake master cylinder). Left hand for brake and pitch and roll...
Right hand for gear, throttle, and radios, etc.
If flown as a glider; principle seat is the right seat... Glider
instruments (VFR and not requiring aircraft alternator to run, nor
suction from a running engine) on the right side. Right hand on stick
for brakes, pitch and roll. Left hand for SPOILERS, throttle, gear, and
radios.
Flight Instructors regularly fly from either seat and it really is
not that big of a deal. Switching hands on the stick during high work
load times is more of a problem. Don't design a cockpit where you have
to switch hands on the stick to do something.
It all relates back to the first rule in aviation. Fly the
airplane... Fly the airplane... Fly the airplane!
Best Regards,
Dave Conrad, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Europa #A078 N200XS
Gerry,
From an ergonomic point of view, I believe a dual
throttle arrangement in a Europa is ill advised. Here is my reasoning:
If the throttle for the
left seat is on the left side of the cockpit you create problems when your
right hand needs to do other things ( raise the gear, use the brake, tune
a radio). You'll have to switch hands right to left on the stick at critical
times while flying. This is not the best from a safety point of view.
I know that traditionally the stick is in the right hand and the throttle
is in the left hand. Trust me... you'll get used to flying with your
left hand on the stick really fast. If it is so very important to fly with
your right hand on the stick and left hand on the throttle... fly from
the right seat and build a new instrument panel with the flight instruments
on that side. They did this with the Slingsby Firefly which was used
for US Air Force initial training.
The Grob motorglider has a similar problem. The
spoiler (traditional way) is on the left side of the cockpit. If landing
it like a glider, with spoilers, and the engine idling... and a go around
is required... the spoilers need to be stowed (left hand), then the left
hand goes to the stick... and right hand to the throttle to add power.
It gets very confusing and several gliders have been crashed as a result.
Try to design the error out of your system.
I also don't like the hand brake on the console.
Again your hand has to choose where it is going to be. Throttle or brake?
And it is easy to hit the throttle ON while reaching for the brake. This
has happened in Europas... gets exciting!
I plan to build my Europa thus:
If flown as an airplane;
principle seat is the left seat... Airplane IFR flight instruments on the
left side. Hydraulic brake on both sticks... kind of like a bicycle hand
brake lever but hydraulic (Matco brake master cylinder). Left hand for
brake and pitch and roll... Right hand for gear, throttle, and radios,
etc.
If flown as a glider;
principle seat is the right seat... Glider instruments (VFR and not requiring
aircraft alternator to run, nor suction from a running engine) on the right
side. Right hand on stick for brakes, pitch and roll. Left hand for SPOILERS,
throttle, gear, and radios.
Flight Instructors regularly fly from either seat
and it really is not that big of a deal. Switching hands on the stick during
high work load times is more of a problem. Don't design a cockpit where
you have to switch hands on the stick to do something.
It all relates back to the first rule in aviation.
Fly the airplane... Fly the airplane... Fly the airplane!
Best Regards,
Dave Conrad, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Europa #A078 N200XS
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