RootsAir From Costa Rica, joined Feb 2005, 4179 posts, RR: 45 Posted (6 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 1690 times:
I have noticed everytime I see a drawing of an aircraft whether its in an in-flight magazine, liladesign, modifiedairliner photos, etc. that they are always drawn on their left side?
Is there a particular reason for this ? Is it because that's the same side we always get to bord in ? Thanks in advance
Regards
BM
A man without the knowledge of his past history,culture and origins is like a tree without roots
AlexPorter From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 1, posted (6 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 1655 times:
There are two reasons I can think of, one which is more airline-specific than anything else:
The general reason: Drawing the left side shows the passenger door, which is preferable to showing the galley door. This is the side that passengers see when they board - at least, when not using a jetway.
The airline-specific reason: I know the fleet page in Northwest's magazine show the planes on the left side because then the compass on the tail points to the northwest.
Oldeuropean From Germany, joined May 2005, 1900 posts, RR: 4 Reply 2, posted (6 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 1617 times:
Perhaps a cultural or art-historical thing.
In the western culture, a movement from the right to the left implies subconsciously a movement in the distance or a "departure".
A movements from the left to the right implies a arrival or a "coming home".
It has something to do with the western style to write from the left to the right.
It's an important point for the composition of paintings, films or photos.
Khobar From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 2379 posts, RR: 4 Reply 3, posted (6 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 1575 times:
Quoting Oldeuropean (Reply 2): In the western culture, a movement from the right to the left implies subconsciously a movement in the distance or a "departure".
A movements from the left to the right implies a arrival or a "coming home".
Seems counter-intuitive given that most if not all Westerners read from left to right. Thus you start with the book pointing towards the right (departure from beginning), and end with the book pointing left (arrival at end).
Oh well, probably a government funded study concluded otherwise.
In the US, perhaps the left side of the aircraft is used as the US flag is the right way around on it.
GeorgiaAME From United States of America, joined Aug 2005, 867 posts, RR: 6 Reply 5, posted (6 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 1531 times:
Because most people are right handed? And our eyes tend to be drawn to the front of an object, be it aircraft, automobile, appliance, rather than the rear. It then follows that when drawing by hand, we start at the nose of the aircraft, and PULL the pen/pencil from the left to the right hand side of the paper. The result is a left sided view. And the convention stuck. As someone pointed out, there must be a government sponsored pork barrel piece of research on the subject. But this is my profound psychological insight into the matter.
"Trust, but verify!" An old Russian proverb, quoted often by a modern American hero
EI321 From Iraq, joined Jul 2009, 0 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (6 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 1526 times:
Quoting AlexPorter (Reply 1): The airline-specific reason: I know the fleet page in Northwest's magazine show the planes on the left side because then the compass on the tail points to the northwest.
Also if there is a flag on the tail it will fly in the correct direction.
Bongodog1964 From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2006, 3018 posts, RR: 2 Reply 7, posted (6 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 1495 times:
Its a natural way for a right handed person to draw a plane, just as you start a sentence on the left, so you draw the nose on the left. Lefthanders being in the minority go along with it, because thats the way they are taught at school.
Any draughting system mechanical or computerised works primarily from left to right, your ruler is graduated that way, so is the measurement scale on a CAD system. if you drag a line from right to left it brings up a negative length.
Khobar From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 2379 posts, RR: 4 Reply 9, posted (6 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 1422 times:
Quoting Chuchoteur (Reply 8): flag protocols dictate that the union (the spangled star part of the US Flag) should fly forwards...
Hmm, that does sound like protocol.
I had heard the flag should appear correct for movement - i.e. the plane is (hopefully) flying forward thus the flag would be pointing to the rear as if caught by the wind. Perhaps a different way of saying the same thing though it sounds less formal than what you suggested.
"The flag decals have the union (the blue area with the stars) on the side closer to the front of the plane. On the plane's left, the decal shows the flag with the union at the left, as usual. On the plane's right side, the union is on the right. This is done so that the flag looks as if it is blowing in the wind created by the forward movement. You can see this on cars and trucks as well."
ExFATboy From United States of America, joined Jul 2003, 2974 posts, RR: 9 Reply 10, posted (6 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 1347 times:
Quoting Chuchoteur (Reply 8): I always found the US airways logo odd..
flag protocols dictate that the union (the spangled star part of the US Flag) should fly forwards...
hence on the right side of the a/c, the union should be in the top right corner.
It's done that way because it is just a logo, not an actual representation of the US flag, so flag protocols don't apply.
Jerald01 From United States of America, joined Oct 2006, 161 posts, RR: 2 Reply 11, posted (6 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 1313 times:
Okay, I'll weigh in here on the issue.
The REAL reason most a/c photos are of the left side is because. . .
(are you ready for this?). . .
that's the side the pilot sits on and you always want to see a bright, smiling pilot flying the aircraft (think Charlton Heston in "Airport") ("Smiling"?... maybe. "Bright"?.... uhhhh)
"There may be old pilots, and there may be bold pilots, but there are darn few green cows"
ExFATboy From United States of America, joined Jul 2003, 2974 posts, RR: 9 Reply 12, posted (6 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 1281 times:
Quoting Jerald01 (Reply 11): that's the side the pilot sits on and you always want to see a bright, smiling pilot flying the aircraft (think Charlton Heston in "Airport")
YOWza From Canada, joined Jul 2005, 4781 posts, RR: 17 Reply 13, posted (6 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 1239 times:
All aircraft manufacturers if note are from countries where the local languages are written left to right. It is only natural to show a plane moving in the same direction as the text is easily read. So sweeping eyes from left to right they can view the entire plane and read the text in one swoop. Plus as already mantioned iconic figures are mostly designed for viewing left to right, flag, the northwest logos and the like.
Chuchoteur From France, joined Sep 2006, 700 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (6 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 1170 times:
Quoting ExFATboy (Reply 10): It's done that way because it is just a logo, not an actual representation of the US flag, so flag protocols don't apply.
US Airways applies the actual flag correctly
Thanks for pointing that out actually
My eye has always been drawn to the wrong looking logo... and I'd never noticed they had the US flag on the fuse...
Gemuser From Australia, joined Nov 2003, 5217 posts, RR: 6 Reply 15, posted (6 years 3 months 3 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 1069 times:
It's an engineering convention. Not only aircraft but almost all technological items are drawn showing their left side in GA (General Arrangement) drawings. Trains, planes, cars, trucks, in fact any large item of machinery is shown left side, if only one side is shown.
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