RootsAir From Costa Rica, joined Feb 2005, 4085 posts, RR: 41 Posted (1 year 11 months 1 week 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 873 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 (1 year 11 months 1 week 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 838 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, 1151 posts, RR: 2 Reply 2, posted (1 year 11 months 1 week 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 800 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.
Axel
[Edited 2007-01-31 15:51:40]
1. Et ees wie et ees! 2. Et kütt wie et kütt! 3. Un et hätt noch emmer joot jejange!
Khobar From United States, joined Mar 2006, 1815 posts, RR: 2 Reply 3, posted (1 year 11 months 1 week 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 758 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, joined Aug 2005, 695 posts, RR: 4 Reply 5, posted (1 year 11 months 1 week 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 714 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 , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 6, posted (1 year 11 months 1 week 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 709 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, 1270 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (1 year 11 months 1 week 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 678 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, joined Mar 2006, 1815 posts, RR: 2 Reply 9, posted (1 year 11 months 1 week 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 605 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."
Jerald01 From United States, joined Oct 2006, 161 posts, RR: 1 Reply 11, posted (1 year 11 months 1 week 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 496 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, joined Jul 2003, 1728 posts, RR: 5 Reply 12, posted (1 year 11 months 1 week 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 464 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 Malaysia, joined Jul 2005, 3943 posts, RR: 20 Reply 13, posted (1 year 11 months 1 week 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 422 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, 196 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (1 year 11 months 1 week 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 353 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, 2632 posts, RR: 3 Reply 15, posted (1 year 11 months 1 week 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 252 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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