[Racer Duck]

This is really a request for information. In reality I'm too lazy to do the research myself so I'm asking you, the readers, to help.

How did the steering wheel come to be on the left side in America but on the right side in England and Japan? Why isn't there a standard?

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

This is really a request for information. In reality I'm too lazy to do the research myself so I'm asking you, the readers, to help.

How did the steering wheel come to be on the left side in America but on the right side in England and Japan? Why isn't there a standard?

I copied the following from a website I found: I don't know if it's right but it makes as much sense as anything I saw:
"Well it actually has to do with the middleages. Back then when knights would ride on horse back in England there was a law that you had to ride your horse on the left side of the road so that any Knight or royal could see if you had a sword in your hand and to make sure you werent armed. Well that carried over to British territories such as Aus. When American revolted they didnt want anything to resemble the British Empire so they decided to have the ride on the right side of the road. Aus still had close and good relantions with the British when it broke away. And to the other who said we are the odd one out actually most of the world drives on the right side, Japan, France, most of Europe. Russia, India, China, all drive on the right side of the road. This was a British tradition"

I also found this on Wikipedia (and, as usual, I don't put a lot of trust in Wikipedia's offerings):
"In 1998, archaeologists found a well-preserved track leading to a Roman quarry near Swindon, England. The grooves in the road on the right side were observed to be much deeper than those on the left side, which would make sense given that carts would be driven without any load on the way to the quarry, but would return laden with stone. These grooves suggest that the Romans drove on the left, at least in this particular location.[5]

In fact, some (e.g. C. Northcote Parkinson) believe that ancient travellers on horseback generally rode on the left side of the road. As more people are right-handed, horsemen would thus be able to hold the reins with their left hands and keep their right hand free—to offer in friendship to passing riders or to defend themselves with swords, if necessary.[citation needed]

The first legal reference in Britain to an order for traffic to remain on the left occurred in 1756 with regard to London Bridge. The Highway Act 1773 contained a recommendation that horse traffic should remain on the left and this is enshrined in section 78 of the Highway Act 1835.

In the late 1700s, a shift from left to right took place in countries such as the United States, when teamsters started using large freight wagons pulled by several pairs of horses. The wagons had no driver’s seat, so a postilion sat on the left rear horse and held his whip in his right hand. Seated on the left, the driver preferred that other wagons pass him on the left so that he could be sure to keep clear of the wheels of oncoming wagons. He did that by driving on the right side of the road.[citation needed]

The British, however, kept to the left. They had smaller wagons, and the driver sat on the wagon, usually on the right side of the front seat. From there he could use his long whip in his right hand without entangling it in the cargo behind him. In that position, on the right side of the wagon, the driver could judge the safety margin of overtaking traffic by keeping to the left side of the road. Countries that became part of the British Empire adopted the keep-left rule too, although there were some exceptions. Canada, for example, where the maritime provinces and Vancouver (later to become British Columbia) drove on the left, eventually changed to the right in order to make border crossings to and from the United States easier. Nova Scotia switched to driving on the right on April 15, 1923.
"

Now, an attending question: Why, in this country, are auto steering wheels on the left but boat steering wheels on the right?

[Racer Duck]

not sure about the boats except that the throttle is usually manipulated by the right hand and every boat I see it's always to the starboard side of the wheel whether on the dash or bulkhead. (had to use some nautical terms )

another bit of trivia: as I remember my western movies, in both the covered wagon and the stage coach the driver always sat on the right and set the brake with his right foot .. also most freight wagons with seat have the foot brake on the right side...

guess that last bit of trivia confuses the issue some...

[thunderfoot]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

not sure about the boats except that the throttle is usually manipulated by the right hand and every boat I see it's always to the starboard side of the wheel whether on the dash or bulkhead. (had to use some nautical terms )

another bit of trivia: as I remember my western movies, in both the covered wagon and the stage coach the driver always sat on the right and set the brake with his right foot .. also most freight wagons with seat have the foot brake on the right side...

guess that last bit of trivia confuses the issue some...

Well gee Ducky what about the jet jockies? We always had the throttles on the left, the stick in the middle and the moron in the right seat or behind ya, depending on what birds ya played with. Which brings up a little trivia. With aircraft what does "Balls to the wall" mean?

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by thunderfoot

Well gee Ducky what about the jet jockies? We always had the throttles on the left, the stick in the middle and the moron in the right seat or behind ya, depending on what birds ya played with. Which brings up a little trivia. With aircraft what does "Balls to the wall" mean?

gosh,TF .. maybe my memory of history is a bit befuddled, but I seem to remember wagons and autos coming along long before jet planes.

the jet planes I played with only had one seat. guess you could say those guys were "super jet jockies" 'cause they did it all! I remember they carried their maps in a case strapped to their knee .. but that was 40 years ago so I'm sure it's changed a little .. especially with AWACS.

no idea on the trivia .. probably a bomber...

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by thunderfoot

Well gee Ducky what about the jet jockies? We always had the throttles on the left, the stick in the middle and the moron in the right seat or behind ya, depending on what birds ya played with. Which brings up a little trivia. With aircraft what does "Balls to the wall" mean?

It basically means that the throttle is all the way forward seeking maximum speed. It got that name because the knobs on top of the levers were little ball shaped knobs. Pushing it all the way forward to the firewall. Hence "Balls to the wall"

[thunderfoot]

You got that one right LSC.

Yeah Ducky, when they did away with the Intruder, Phantom and Tomcat the need for a bombadier/navigator or a RIO (radar intercept officer) was no more. The last Intruder to leave Enterprise was a sad sight, at least in the A-6 community. It was the end of a great era. The pilot's radio transmission said "Boomer 502 airborne, FAG's got the con". (VA-165 Boomers, Fighter/Attack Guy's). You know how we love acronyms. Those F/A-18 people can do it all now I guess. Nice bird really.

[Racer Duck]

the plane I played with...

well, let's see if you can guess what it was:

• single seater
• Volkswagen landing gear
• giant vacuum cleaner (yes, it's a jet)
• held air speed record for several years

[thunderfoot]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

the plane I played with...

well, let's see if you can guess what it was:

• single seater
• Volkswagen landing gear
• giant vacuum cleaner (yes, it's a jet)
• held air speed record for several years

Was it the A-4 Skyhawk? With slats that dropped down by gravity? Thats what I trained on at Millington

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by thunderfoot

Was it the A-4 Skyhawk? With slats that dropped down by gravity? Thats what I trained on at Millington

Holy cow T-foot. I worked on A-4's at NAS Lemoore. VA-212. I also went to school in Millington. AT school

[Racer Duck]

also schooled at Millington .. AQ

also schooled at Lemore .. NWLT (Nuclear Weapons Loading Team)

but the A-4 wasn't my bird. look at hint #2 again... and I doubt the A-4 ever got close to an air speed record.

here's another hint: they were popular "peter-peter" planes...

[thunderfoot]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Holy cow T-foot. I worked on A-4's at NAS Lemoore. VA-212. I also went to school in Millington. AT school

I think every airdale through the early 90's went to NAS Millington. I loved the place. Bummer they shut it down. I believe part of the old base is now Memphis Motorsports Park. They only had one streetlight in Millington and the folks there gave directions by chuckholes. (Frequency and size)

I got to go there twice. The second time round I made sure all my cousins knew where I was and made good use of the availability of grandpas corn squeezins to all my shipmates. They would deliver weekly. I had the most popular room in the barracks. Then when I got stationed at Whidbey Island grandpa helped me build a still in my kitchen and I was makin my own. Of course I maintained grandpas good quality control with having a check off sheet and a CDI (collateral duty inspector, for those that forgot or dont know)

[thunderfoot]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

also schooled at Millington .. AQ

also schooled at Lemore .. NWLT (Nuclear Weapons Loading Team)

but the A-4 wasn't my bird. look at hint #2 again... and I doubt the A-4 ever got close to an air speed record.

here's another hint: they were popular "peter-peter" planes...

A-7 Corsiar with that big intake under the nose it was a dangerous plane to be around.

Unless it was the A-5 That one took allot of air to drive those twins (GE's right?)

[thunderfoot]

Now that I get to thinking Ducky it has to be the A-5. It was built to deliver a nuke. Then when it was found to be ineffective they made it a photo aircraft. Cool bird. Especially the delivery system for the nuke. Out the tail end. What an Edsel that design was!

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by thunderfoot

A-7 Corsiar with that big intake under the nose it was a dangerous plane to be around.

I remember at sea we had a guy get sucked into the intake of the A-7. Luckily the pilot and plane Captain were alert and it was shut down quick enough for him to remain alive. Can you even imagine that ????

Originally Posted by thunderfoot

I think every airdale through the early 90's went to NAS Millington. I loved the place. Bummer they shut it down.

The 90's ????? Maybe the 60's but I was long back into the real world in the 90's. I do recall EMI ... how about you Ducky ????

I recall it standing for a couple of things.