Can I let someone fly left seat if I'm not a CFI?
 

Hi guys,

I have a friend who is interested in learning how to fly. I'd like to let her fly left seat, problem is, I am not a CFI (yet...that is about a year away). Would letting her sit in the left seat be legal?...I tried to search the FARs, and either I'm blind or there is nothing about it.

And by the way, as I am a commercial pilot in training, I have done a few right seat flights with an instructor in anticipation of a future CFI.

Thanks

Theres no regs that says someone can or cannot manipulate the controls from the left or right seat, shoot you can fly around solo in the right seat if you want. Just don't act/fulfill the privileges of a CFI and you don't have a problem.

reply to post.
 

As I did all my training back in the stone age I would recommend that you wait till you get your CFI and then let your friend sit left ,that way you have all the bases covered if you are unsure or maybe someone else in here knows a bit more about that .:)

You can fly from the right, but I recommend you take a CFI or someone of experience along the first time you do it.

Depending on the aircraft things like the fuel switch and ignition may only be accessible from the left. Your sight picture is different from the right also. These are things you do not want to discover for the first time "alone" with two low time pilots at the controls.

Once you get "checked out" with someone of experience (or a CFI) go for it!

CFR FAR 61.3 covers sit. Without an active instructor's certificate you are not authorized to instruct toward a flight rating or certificate, although you may "play instruct" all you like. Without a student pilot certificate no one may act as PIC of an airplane. A friend wiggling the controls is not responsible for whatever they do, you are.

I see the value in simulated instructing a little perhaps, but there's an obvious limit on the value of it for either party.

Thanks for the responses. Obviously, since I am not a CFI, I can't fill out any logbooks, act as CFI, or charge her money (I don't have my commercial yet-and I am too nice anyways, I'm footing the bill for entire flight because I don't want her to know how expensive flying can be ;) )

I'll give it some more thought, but thanks again.

For her first experience at playing with the plane why does it matter if she sits L or R? Just take her up and give her a ride in the R seat,, It will not matter one bit to her,, You don't want her to do anything but looking outside and getting a feel for controlling the A/C with reference to the horizon anyways,,and obviously she won't land or takeoff so....

It is legal however, insurance companies may not cover anyone but a rated pilot and/or student with instructor in the left seat.

In addition to the insurance company having heartburn with it, if you rent, read your rental contract carefully. Many FBO's prohibit renters from flying right seat.

My advise, before you depart, sitting on the ramp with the engine not running, stick her in the left seat, show her all the instruments, dials, etc, give her a good "tour", but put her in the right seat for the flight.

As everybody has previously stated, it's not a "legal" question but one of liability. Unfortunate, but that's the world we live in.

Unless the AFM says you cannot fly from the right seat, there's no FAR that prevents you from doing that, but like others said, get instruction for your first time.

I agree that there's nothing legally preventing you from letting a friend manipulate the controls from either seat, but I'd bet the farm that your club rules and insurance will not allow a non-CFI to fly right seat. Also you almost certainly cannot allow your friend to manipulate controls during T/O or landing (from either seat). I doubt you could get in trouble by letting your friend fly in cruise flight (make sure he knows to use gentle inputs).

Take your friend for a joyride, wait till you get your FI, then give legit instruction.

Hi Convair340,
My hat is off to you that you are trying to introduce someone else to the joy and excitement of flying. Us old time fliers forget the first time we went up and took the controls.
I really don't think it's necessary to put her in the left seat to get the same value of excitement. In my opinion what is more important is the you take her up early in the morning on a nice clear, smooth day and let her fly. This proves to her that flying isn't some obscure skill that only the Greek Gods are blessed with. The biggest problem with general aviation today is that we exclude so many. Having the chain link fence and the locked gate these days doesn't help.
Again, congratulations on not losing sight of this special hobby/career and sharing your skill and love of flying with someone else.

Your rental contract may dictate that you sit on the left side. Check to be sure.

Im with everyone else on this one. Just put her in the right seat and she will be thrilled and not even know that she is sitting on the "wrong" side anyway.

Also if you have never flown from the right seat do not start for the first time with a passenger. You will not only embarass yourself but may end up hurting yourselves or someone else. It is not a big deal at all but my first few landings in CFI training were a little squirrelly.

Actually, she'll think you're crazy if she sits on the left. We used to do flights for elementary teachers and new students and without fail they always started toward the right side. A couple of them gave me strange looks when I pointed them to the left side. She'll be fine on the right, besides, new pilots should learn to fly by outside reference anyhow.

I'm joining the conga line, put'r in the right seat! No reason to jeopardize your ticket's, or rental agreement if something goes sour!!!

Besides, right seat is kind of weird during the first hours...it just feels different. Then, you don't want to look bad on that landing when trying to impress that girl....jk

:)

Why? Why do you want her in the left seat? Is it to impress her by letting her sit in the most important seat, or is it because he right side is more pleasant to look at?


It's a bit of a Catch 22, isn't it? You want her to be in the more special seat, but her being able to be there on the first flight (without an instructor) makes it less special.


I recommend sticking to what's comfortable and familiar -- fly from the left seat, `cuz that's the seat you've been trained in. I used to send solos out the door with the admonition to "Don't do anything dumb, dangerous, or different."


Stick to what you know.







.

I would let your friend sit left seat but make sure they are aware of the swithches that can be easily switched my knees and so on. Might want to go up with a cfi for some landings to get use to the new picture from the right side. Have a tendancy to land not aligned with center line and could side load the landing very easily. Also your using the opposite hands on the controls takes a little practice to move yoke and throttle for the small adjustments on short final.

Once again, thanks for the input. I requested information from my flying club, and they specifically prohibit non-CFIs from flying right seat. Written in writing...so that seals it.

I always set right seat that way when you have a bad day and slam it in on a 10,000ft runway you can point to the person setting in the left seat…. Just kidding

Cubdriver -- here's a strange question for you. I saw on one of your posts that you signed off with the quote "Turn the heat O-F-F!" This particular phrase is famous amongst air force T38 instructors, particularly those who flew with foreign students. There is a famous audio file of an IP going crazy trying to get his foreign student in the front seat to turn the heat off, and we all get a great kick out of that audio, really brings us back there. By some miraculous coincidence, would that IP happen to have been you?

I'm more curious as to why everyone seems to think that there is some magical voodoo about flying from the right seat in a GA airplane.

Other than swapping hands manipulating the throttle and yoke, I'm failing to see the differing "sight picture" and other murky boogey men that people imply live on the other side of the cockpit.

It's simply not that big of a deal.

Hacker, fact is that moving from the left seat to the right tends to be the first real obstacle in CFI training.

You're right, it's not a big deal to some people. But people are different and while it's a very simple transition for some, but others have a difficult time getting used to it.

Personally, I thing it's a good thing - a CFI candidate who had to think about how to teach himself to land from the right seat may have a little more to offer a new pilot learning how to land for the first time.

The only advantage to this scenario, is if she is in the left seat, you know, you have to REACH over to turn something on or off, start the plane, all that good stuff.;) Wait till you have had some time sitting in the right seat learning the manipulation of the controls with opposite hands. Has anyone ever gone to, like, England and learned how to drive a car from the right side on the opposite side of the road. Can be a challenge. I have had many a CFI student who pushed on the yoke and pulled the power off at the most inopportune time!

That's, like, also not that big of a deal after the first 5 minutes doing it.

<insert massive legal disclaimer here>

Just switch seats in mid-air :D

Obviously this was humor and by no means an endorsement thereof.

No Cubdriver wasn't that IP, although he obviously found the video entertaining.

I was searching for info on flying right seat when I came across this (older) post. Thanks for all the comments.

I flew a close friend and wanna-be-pilot today for the first time from the right seat. I went up yesterday alone right seat to get the hang of it. Not that bad. I'm working on my commercial and then plan to go for my CFI.

Pretty awesome experience showing someone the ropes. Really enjoyable.

To clarify though, CFR FAR 61.3 says, "... no person other than the holder of a flight instructor certificate ... may... give training required to qualify a person for solo flight and solo cross-country flight"

Obviously I know my friend can't log any time or the flight be productive other than their own expanded knowledge and experience. However, does this FAR (or any other) prevent the training (me instructing), or simply prevent the logging of experience towards the end result (certificate)?

Also...

To all those who offer caution before swapping and to those who equally find no concern, here is some smart insight on the subject I found before moving over:

Aviation Mentor: Flying Right Seat

Does 61.3 (d) say only CFIs can instruct? You've answered your own question.

Better check your club and insurance rules. Normally they forbid a non-CFI from flying right seat.

They will also forbid any instruction by non-club CFI's.


Legally you can teach and they can learn but it does not count as dual towards any FAA requirement, and really should not be logged as any sort of flight time for the "student" since they are not getting dual, PIC, or SIC...legally its an "airplane ride".

Be careful doing that, there's a reason the CFI rating is hard to get.

It's great that you are trying to introduce someone to aviation. By all means take her up for some fun flights to wet her appetite. But please don't attempt to teach when you're not yet a CFI, it's hard enough for us Instructors to undo bad habits taught by other CFI's let alone the bad habits picked up by someone play instructing.

As rules go, you can pilot from any seat you wish. Personally I would advise against getting into the side you are less familiar with. By placing yourself in a less familiar situation (seat) you are in fact raising the risk factor for the flight. All though the risk may be perceived as a slight one, why raise a risk factor by even a smidgen if there was no good reason to?

On a side note, I was once doing a checkout flight for a newly minted instructor who had done all his flight training at one of the brand name zero-to-hero schools. Because they did nearly all of their training in multi-engines the students were required to do most of their flight training (even towards the CFI ratings) in the left seat. Upon a less than stellar landing for him in the right seat I joked to him that they must not be teaching instructors to fly right seat at his school. He in all seriousness told me that he had only logged 5 hours in the right seat before becoming a CFI. Suffice to say, he did not get my stamp of approval to instruct in our aircraft.