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Hotas for left-handers?


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There are some left-handers out there for sure. Can you suggest me some joystick or hotas that is suitable for southpaws, or are you flying the classical way?

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I have seen some ambidextrous sticks but never a left-handed model. All of the lefties that I know use a joystick in their right hand.

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Im right-handed too, I was asking for my friend. I found this interesting statement:

 

http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.php/522078-Left-handed-pilots-Forums

I am a current U.S. Air Force instructor pilot and a lefty and can state with authority that the "handedness" of a person has absolutely no bearing on their assignment of an airplane. The assignment that a person gets out of pilot training is solely based on their performance during pilot training. In fact, I recall hearing several years ago that the percentage of pilots who are lefty was much higher than than the percentage of lefty's in the general population! I dunno, maybe it has to do with that right-brained thing (spatial relationships, etc...). I have flown both stick and yoke type equipped aircraft from the left and right seats and it makes absolutely no difference.

 

Imho you can buy diferent joysticks which are simmetrical for handling in left or right hand. But when you have the stick in your left hand, I would heavilly missed all those buttons, hats and axis that you could control on the HOTAS throttle with your left hand thumb...


Edited by Suchacz
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I'm left handed and always think this is a silly question. HOTAS requires dexterity from both hands to properly use. It's not merely a matter of preferring a dominant hand. If anything the throttle requires more dexterity than the stick because of all the other controls and switches on it.

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Sucha as mentioned the instructor, IRL there are planes where the stick/yoke is in your right, and there are planes where the stick/yoke is in your left. IRL you have to deal with it, nobody ask you what is your primary hand :)

 

But if your friend stands on using joy in his left and throttle in his right hand there is for sure the DIY way :thumbup:

 

IMG_7687.jpg

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Im a hardcore lefty but a stick in the right right hand and the throttle left is no problem at all.

 

My mouse is a different story though. My mouse is ALWAYS on the left side of my keyboard. And since there are not that many neutral shaped on the market i bought myself about 5 logitech G300's so i have a few spare ones ;)

g8PjVMw.png

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you wouldnt believe but after my previous post I was thinking about the same possibility - DIY lefty CH throttle :)

 

this CH throttle is very versatile controller (saw it used like collective by just mounting it on the side) :thumbup:

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I`m not a lefty but i cant figure why it should matter when flying.

who said the main hand cant be on the throttle instead of the stick?

what about driving? some countries (ie. UK , AU ) drive with the right hand on the steering wheel and in most of the world with the left hand.

 

in my opinion its really just a matter of getting used to it.

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  • 4 years later...

Late to the party, but here's my take after recent life-changing event ;-)

 

Might help a few weirdos lefties out-there!

 

Even though I'm sure I could re-train my brain to use a stick in the right-hand, but after 30+ years of simming with the stick in the left hand, it would be a big task in itself.

 

 

Up until yesterday, I've been using an ambidextrous Cyborg-EVO and a pretty clever HOTAS keyboard binding method that enabled me to become deadly efficient in the A-10c.

 

After trying it in a store a few times, I just got a T1600m + Throttle setup.

 

I reverse it (and invert the settings for the main slider) so I use my right thumb for the 3 hats. I can reach all buttons and hats without any weird contortions with medium size hands.

 

 

Obviously, you lose some ergonomy + the two-way swich and ''playstation-like'' stick are a bit awkward to use, but it is still the best setup I've tried for right-hand throttle ''off the box''.

 

I highly recommend trying it for any left-hand stick flyers

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Well since this has been resurrected.

I don't mean to say you should retrain yourself at all. If this is how you sim, and you are happy and comfortable with it, I'm certanely not going to tell you "you're wrong!".

But Having said that, I'd like to agree with what some have said before, this shouldn't be that much of an issue. Other's have pointed several examples so I will not repeat them, but I'll add to what has been said, Airbus airliner captains have to use a left hand stick to control the plane. As well as any captain of any plane that has a co-pilot has to at least use the yoke with the left hand when using the throttle. Presumebly most of this captains are right handed and this is not an inderance.

Someone also pointed before the example of driving, in that regard I have a personal experience where live in a right hand drive country but I actually took my license in england, where I was staying at the time. When I came home I transitioned with no problems.

Just wanted to leave it out there...

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