Ed Sullivan wrote:
On Thu, 29 May 2008 01:32:55 GMT, Jay Maynard
wrote:

On 2008-05-29, Greg Siemon wrote:
Does anybody have any experience with this configuration? Seems that you
would be switching back and forth on the stick to operate the throttles
and the radios. Any input would be appreciated.

I've been wondering about this ever since taking my first flight in a
Zodiac. I've always heard that the correct way was to fly with your right
hand on the stick and the left on the throttle, but the Zodiac I flew had
the throttle in the center. This seemed natural to my 172-trained reflexes;
I'd never flown an aircraft with a stick before, so I didn't know any
better.

N55ZC will have^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hhas (they've built it that far; it goes
into the paint shop Friday) dual throttles, so I can use either hand. It
still seems to me that using the left hand on the stick and the right on the
throttle would work better, since the right hand can move to the other
things in the aircraft that need adjusting more easily than swapping hands
on the stick. Is there a reason that aircraft with a stick are
conventionally flown with the right hand aside from just having the controls
laid out that way?

Most early aircraft particularly the open cockpit biplanes and the
like had the throttle quadrant on the left, there were notable
exceptions mostly side by side types. Working the radios was rather
acedemic early on. It has been my experience that one adapts rather
quickly to whatever configuration he is faced with.
A lot of the posts on this newsgroup sound as if aviation started ten
years ago. In fact the experimental movement started more than 60
years ago and was simply that. Many forms of construction and
materials were tried some successful some not so. To criticize Rutan
for his experiments is pretty naive. The first time I went to Oshkosh
the sky was filled with his designs and most of those who built them
enjoyed them. The mostly built kits so evident today weren't around so
you worked frequently only from plans and had to track down all the
components on your own and learn a bunch in the process. It would
behoove many of you to look at some early Sport Aviations to see where
we came from.

Ed Sullivan, aged curmudgeon

Thanks Ed, that was very well said.