Just curious. For me, I am a counter-clockwise flyer. I rarely fly clockwise. Just habit. Wind and club conditions being neutral, what direction do you PREFER to fly?
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24Clockwise4.17%1Counter-Clockwise58.33%14Both directions37.50%9My YouTube RC videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@toddbreda -
At our field we need to fly both and sometimes you take off lt to rt and you end up landing rt to lt, so you need both added.
AMA 424553 -
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Usually depends on which way the wind is blowing but if you fly mode 2, which most of us here in the US do, it feels more natural to move your stick to the left so most folks would prefer to do left hand circuits. When I was first learning to fly RC I always did left hand circuits. Even if I had to takeoff and land downwind. But that was before modern day RC when you couldn't learn the basic hand/eye coordination with a computer flightsim. New RC pilots these days have it made with RC flightsims where mistakes don't cost anything. Just push a button and go again! Modern RC flyers don't realize how good they have it. Us old guys got really good at fixing our airplanes though!
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The heart of the poll meant to ask what preference ya'll have when flying. Assuming wind and club conditions were neutral. Do you prefer to fly clockwise or counter? That's what I was getting at and I have edited my original post to reflect that.
My YouTube RC videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@toddbredaComment
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I much prefer to fly counter clockwise, but not at the expense of taking off or landing with any tailing/cross tailing wind above 5 mph.Comment
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counter clockwise as the torque try's to turn (most) planes to the left. Feels more natural to me as well.rc flyin addictComment
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Yeah I don't even recall how it started but I have been flying CC in the 23 years I've been flying electric RC. I can fly C of course but it feels odd, like trying to do something left handed if you are right dominant and visa versa.My YouTube RC videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@toddbredaComment
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As a point of interest, if an runway does not specify right pattern it is left traffic pattern. In the picture below, from the VFR chart - Casa Grande airport info indicates right pattern for runway 23 (RP 23) but runway 5 is assumed to be left pattern.Comment
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I think because we read and write Lt to Rt is why it seams more natural to us.
AMA 424553Comment
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Yeah, maybe it's habit from the full scale world, but I'm a left hand turner. Even flying fields, sumtin' about having that torque going for you. And if you think about it, most times a pilot flies from the left seat, better visibility. Unless of course you fly ag, or helicopters, or both.Comment
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Prefer left hand circuits. Initially due to full size habits, but now due to the club field I fly at. Pilot stations are on the west side of the runway, and prevailing winds usually favour landing from the north. I do practice circuits in the opposite direction when possible - I don't want to become one of "those guys"!Comment
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It's kind of interesting the debate over left and right-hand turns. Over the years I've taught hundreds of people to fly R/C models including UAVs. Whenever I teach someone to fly I always teach them to fly a horizontal figure "8" in front of the pilot. In doing this you are constantly flying left and right-hand turns and after a short while of flying the answer to which direction do you prefer to fly will be "Whichever direction is best suited to the conditions at the time". Flying a horizontal figure "8" is a simple process but quite difficult to fly well, keeping both circles the same size and the same height and the model always in front of you and not letting it go behind you. The cross over point should be directly in front of you the pilot. You should be able to fly the above without the use of a gyro or a SAFE system. The only way to do it is to practice and practice and when you have it right, practice some more. If you can fly left and right-hand turns you will also crash less often because you will always be able to correct a difficult situation which may require a right-hand turn to save the model. If you can only fly a left-hand turn and find yourself in a difficult situation turning right will be a real alien experience and will most likely end in a crash. I used to fly competition aerobatics (IMAC) and you have to be able to fly both left and right and also perform the maneuvers in both directions as well. This is to take in the effect the wind direction on the day.
While on the subject of flying take-off should always be from the pilot box at the side of the runway and NOT standing behind the model. The reason for this apart from the safety issue is this. Standing to the side you can observe two things you can't see standing behind the model. First, you can see how fast the model is traveling as it passes in front of you and you will know if you have flying speed or not. Secondly, you can observe the angle at which you are climbing away. is it too steep do you have sufficient airspeed to increase the angle? Standing behind the model to take off it is difficult to observe both of these flight characteristics which are vital for a safe take-off.
The reason it feels easier or safer to fly left-hand turns in this. Most people are right-handed and this is controlled by the left side of the brain apparently. This also has the effect as to why turning left feels more comfortable to most people. Why I don't know but it is to do with the brain. This is not always the case but it often is. keeping with left-hand turns for a minute. Which direction does NASCAR travel around a track? Which direction to speed skaters travel around the ice? In most cases where an oval track is used the direction of travel is to the left.
I hope this helps some of you and maybe provide a little thought-provoking.
PappaBearComment
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Good post PappaBear . I have been terrible at flying figure 8's. In all the years and thousands upon thousands of flights I have become so ingrained in flying left pattern anytime I have to fly right feels as foreign as asking a right-handed person to sign their name with their left. I can fly right of course, but I am nowhere near as comfortable as flying left. It's one of the many aspects of my skill set I should stop being lazy about and really work at improving. I created this thread/poll primarily to see if I am in the minority or majority when it comes to favoring one over the other.My YouTube RC videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@toddbredaComment
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I always fly figure "8" whenever I'm out flying, it's great practice and if I get bored with it I fly it inverted also. It's also a great exercise in control co-ordination.
Beeg, you are right I forgot the pylon racers, "Go fast turn left".
PappaBear.Comment
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In absolute agreement with ya Martin( PappaBear )
Back in the day when I was still with a club as lead flight instructor I always had folks doing horiz 8's as well as flying both direction patterns down the runway center.
This got them in to knowing the key landmarks for landing as well as observing any air patterns around the landing zone so as to not to have any OMG moments.
You can't get enough practice and it is actually more challenging than just punching holes in the clouds. Because most pilots don't have a regiment that is practiced and
are just blowing holes in the clouds, that is where the inconsistencies (offcenter, under/over shoot, etc) appear for the MANDATORY controlled crash.
Concur Aros with really work at improving. Maybe that chain link fence won't be so intimidating for landing
It's all about the confidence because you know ya got the skill set.
Warbird Charlie
HSD Skyraider FlightLine OV-10 FMS 1400: P-40B, P-51, F4U, F6F, T-28, P-40E, Pitts, 1700 F4U & F7F, FOX glider Freewing A-6, T-33, P-51 Dynam ME-262, Waco TF Giant P-47; ESM F7F-3 LX PBJ-1 EFL CZ T-28, C-150, 1500 P-51 & FW-190Comment
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Whichever way you want to fly have fun doing it!Comment
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