A history lesson, please

Andrew, I can answer your question in regards to competition. The answer is yes clockwise flights are allowed. I have a flying member who still flies clockwise. https://www.modelaircraft.org/sites/default/files/files/events/nats/NatsNews08/0712.pdf

       Scroll to the bottom and Rich's Stuka can be seen. Rich is from the New York area and he use to attend our Philly contest. Windy Urtnowski mentions Rich a fair amount in his videos.

As for the exact date of when it was standardized is probably a question that can't be answered. It's just like when were profile engines accepted vs upright. You receive a answer and then someone digs out a example that predates it from the archives. I truly believe it was mainly for the speed crowd.

Ken Cook wrote:.......The answer is yes clockwise flights are allowed. I have a flying member who still flies clockwise. ...................

Thanks, guys!

I started flying in the late 50's, but could not remember any folks flying clockwise at the time.  Consequently, I was a little surprised when the plan was published with a clockwise configuration.

I did notice that Rich was flying his Stuka left-handed.  I wonder if that had any impact on his choice of direction?

a--

Many struggle flying in one direction vs the other. To become a good pilot, you need to overcome that. The beginning of the pattern has 6 level upright laps and coming out of the reverse wingover is 6 inverted laps. This in my opinion is done for a few reasons, it burns off the fuel load to lean the engine a bit in the next consecutive maneuvers. It also prepares the pilot as to where his bottoms should be executed. This isn't who can cut the grass it's a matter of who can present the plane steadily at 5'.

I'm a lefty and my son is a lefty. I fly with my right hand nowadays because I forced myself to switch due to a injury. I feel out of place and insecure now. In other words the right handed crowd likes to raise the bridge where my brain lowers the water. Essentially the same thing, I just go about it differently. I feel much more comfortable if I'm flying counterclockwise ( standard) with my left hand. This way I feel I'm leading the plane and not the other way around. It really seems like the majority right handers should be flying clockwise and not counter for the above reason.

I recently discussed this with my son. He wants me to switch back to lefty. I will give it a try.

I flew a couple speed planes CW, an FAI speed, 1/2A proto and speed plane and an A speed. I would bet a beer that I was the last guy at the world champs that flew that direction. That was England 1978. I find now that I can run faster running towards the plane as when being right handed and going CW. or left handed and CCW. That is the main reason I stopped flying speed as I could not keep up with the planes once I got them up to a 'good' speed. I get real dizzy when I fly backwards now, but you get used to it after a couple flights.

Ken, that is interesting, I didn't know that in contest flying one is allowed to fly clockwise instead of the default counterclockwise. I gather that because most are right handed, it seems more natural to look ahead of the plane with it moving forward of the right hand.

There are a few designs that were originally designed with clockwise flight in mind, like DeBolt All American series, from the A size (26 inch wingspan, for early .09's) to mid size to standard size. Because it was flown using the torque advantage, it was said that no rudder offset was necessary. The inboard wing was a panel longer than the outboard. I was told that if I wanted to maintain vintage CL, I needed to maintain one wing panel longer than the other (although I could make the plane do counterclockwise, just reverse wing panel lengths).