Training and Safety Tip: One hand on the yoke
The “steering wheel” in your aircraft has grips for both hands. I’m not sure why it’s designed that way.
Because the correct way to fly from the left seat is to have your left hand on the wheel, which is properly called a “yoke,” and your right hand free for the throttle, trim wheel, radios, and avionics. Likely, the modern yoke was derived from larger, harder-to-manage airplanes of yore that needed to be wrestled into submission with both hands. Airplanes that had flight engineers to operate the throttles, trim, radios, and avionics.
But because the yoke is molded for two hands and most people learn to drive before learning to fly, it may take some will power—some conscious effort—for your hands to learn their new muscle memory roles. If you find, despite your best efforts, that your right hand has a mind of its own, try putting a little poster gum on the back of the yoke’s right handgrip as a tactile reminder. Just don’t forget to remove it as part of your postflight.
Why does this matter? Partly because you really do need the other hand for a wide range of flight deck duties, but largely because two hands are simply too much. If you fly two-handed, you’ll be over-controlling, and you’ll never master the smooth use of flight controls that is one hallmark of a professional pilot.
Now back to that two-finger flying: While it will work just fine, it’s actually a hand position that causes muscle fatigue, as if you were holding a porcelain cup for hours on end at a fancy tea party. Instead, the optimal technique is to rest your hand lightly on the yoke, with your fingers curled around the grip with minimal pressure.
That said, if you find that your hand aches after a flight, or if you look down and your fingers are turning white, the best cure for this “learner’s death grip” is simply to fly two-fingered for a little while until your hand learns its new job.
