Question: Here is a question that has been bothering me for a while. Do right-handed fighter pilots use their right hand to hold the control stick? **And do left-handed fighter pilots use their left hand?**

Or is it the other way around? Or do they maybe use both hands a lot of the time? It also brings up the question as to what the other hand is expected to do and which side of the cockpit the most common control buttons are on.

My guess is that since most people are right handed, they use their right hand. There's also triggers on the yoke so it seems all the more likely that the right hand is used for right-handers. 

I'm asking because you look at **video games and their controllers**. They always use the **left joystick** for moving the character. In the case of flight simulators, the **left joystick** is used as the 'stick' or yoke. So you're pretty much left with no choice but to use your left thumb. Not saying this is awkward for video games, however, on those big joysticks for PC games, I remember I always used my right hand.

Also, let's ignore civil commercial piloting because those seem to usually use steering wheel type controls, not a traditional stick. Please let me know if you're a fighter pilot when you answer, because the triggers on the yoke have an effect on which hand you're most comfortable with.

Answer: 
Most fighter pilots, regardless of their handedness, use their right hand to fly the stick, and their left hand to move the throttle(s)/PCL (Power Control Lever). This is just how most fighter cockpits are set up, with the power on the left side.

![Eurofighter Typhoon cockpit](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ylyWkl.jpg)

The sticks are also not really usable for a left hander because a few of the buttons would be inaccessible with a left hand on the stick. In some cases (like the F-16), the cockpit uses a *sidestick* layout, with the stick on the edge of the cockpit, rather than in between the pilot's legs.

![F-16 cockpit (note the sidestick on the right and the throttle on the left)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/gJwofl.jpg)

So no, **it would not really be possible for left-handed pilots to fly with their left hand on the stick for long periods of time** (I will note, that if you need to select something on the right side, most will hold the stick lightly in their left hand for a brief second, actuate the item with their right hand, and then switch back) unless the entire cockpit were redesigned, which is just not worth it.
I am an ex-military pilot and retired airline pilot who is still an active pilot in general aviation. The simple answer is that single seat and tandem seat cockpits are set up with the throttle and trim on the left, so that the stick has to be handled with the right hand.

With a few exceptions side by side cockpits have wheels and the throttle and trim are between the seats so that the pilot in the left seat, usually the pilot in command, uses his left hand on the wheel and the other pilot uses his right hand on the wheel.

I never have trouble switching back and forth, but some people do.