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As per this picture of the Embraer 190, but also on other Aircraft, the Control column stick has a very awkward position for hands. Why is this design chosen? To me it seems that the position of the hands would be really uncomfortable as the pilots hands would be tilted at 45 degrees and not stay vertical, thus putting a lot of stress on them.

enter image description here

DeltaLima
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Fabrizio Mazzoni
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  • The amount of time they have one hand on the column is small. The amount they have 2 hands on the column very small. Why do you think it is uncomfortable? If it was, don't you think they would have changed the design? – Simon Jun 17 '15 at 14:47
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    Have you actually tried it yourself? Sit down at a table. Rest your arms on the table in front of you, in the most comfortable position for you. Are your hands vertical? Most likely they're tilted towards each other at about 45 degrees. Now deliberately put them in a vertical position and you'll probably feel an uncomfortable twisting feeling in your forearms. So tilted is much more natural and comfortable than vertical. – Pondlife Jun 17 '15 at 15:38
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    I fly this type. It is not uncomfortable at all. – Porcupine911 Jun 17 '15 at 15:46
  • Actually true. Thinking about it the position of the hands is more relaxed and comfortable this way.. – Fabrizio Mazzoni Jun 17 '15 at 15:52
  • Actually, I think this position is more comfortable than the more common vertical layout. Consider how ergonomic computer mice are designed in a similar way, to let the hand have a 45 degree angle: http://www.computer-posture.co.uk/images/Anker-2.4G-Wireless-Vertical-Ergonomic-Optical-Mouse.gif – 60levelchange Jul 04 '16 at 11:33
  • It looks like the one on the concorde – Manu H Aug 30 '19 at 11:28
  • The main issue I would be worried about isn't the fact that the hands are at a "strange" angle, as they'd be even further from vertical on, say, a bicycle. The real problem is how the pivot point is so far under the hand position, as opposed to inbetween the hands like on other aircraft. I'm sure the pilots are used to it, but I still feel it is a suboptimal design. – CatLife Jul 07 '20 at 16:34
  • Check Concorde's controls. I posted this question on pprune a few years ago. https://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/503342-control-wheels-v-ram-s-horns.html – denachtenmai Jul 07 '20 at 20:54

3 Answers3

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I think it's quite similar to a steering wheel with your hands a bit to the upper half. You rest your hands onto the yoke with this variant, as compared to the other ones where they are vertical and inclined to slide downwards.

While I'm certainly not sure, it could be a sensory thing as well, perhaps allowing better feel for the position as you are putting less energy into your arm and tiring it out less.

I think it's a minor design detail and had it been uncomfortable/ problematic they would have got rid of it pretty quickly.

Embraer Angled Yoke

Bombadier Vertical Yoke

Thunderstrike
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I flew this type several times in the sim and I think it's quite comfortable. One of the problems would be the pivot point as mentioned by CatLife. This could be tricky for the PNF. The tip could strike your knee if your legs are wide open and the pilot is using max yoke deflection. See pictures. control yoke sim picture

Another thing is the unusual inclination of the trim switches compared to traditional yokes. The first time you handle the yoke takes a few seconds to realize that the direction is not up-down. After a couple of touches most pilots are comfortable with this. enter image description here

O'Terror
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    I appears that the trim switch is up/down in relation to the angle of your thumb when resting on the yoke, though. It's very natural to consider straightening the thumb to be pushing "up" and bending the thumb to be pulling "down", no matter the angle of the hand. – FreeMan Jul 08 '20 at 18:13
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    @FreeMan Definetly, straightening the thumb is quite natural and that's why it doesn't take more than a few touches to get familiar. I was told that a side stick was considered for the new version E2. Since this new version was fully FBW seems reasonable to have a stick like Airbus, but finally Embraer decided to keep the yoke to avoid a new type certificate. Have you heard abou it? – O'Terror Jul 08 '20 at 19:26
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The hand position when gripping the Embraer handle bar is the most natural ergonomical position. For instance as stated by this site:

The natural wrist position in the field of ergonomics is the posture the wrist and hand assume when at rest. The upright position of the hand, like that of the handshake grip, is not a neutral position.

And

The natural wrist position when at rest is characterized by the following:

  • A straight, unbroken wrist
  • The hand rotated to a relaxed position (30-60 degrees)
  • The fingers curled and at rest
  • The thumb straight and relaxed
Koyovis
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