Port and Starboard, or Left and Right

In French it is similar babord and tribord.

But I have never heard either of those terms in aviation in France. But then I guess I’ve not run into port and starboard either. (Incidentally port is a relatively modern term, originally it was larboard which was understandably dropped because it sounds an awful lot like starboard, especially when yelled in the teeth of a howling gale).

LeSving wrote:

Starboard (styrbord) literally means the “board” (plank) where the rudder was fastened on viking ships.

Yes, it is the same in German: German term for starboard is “Steuerbord” literally “Steering-Board”.

Also useful for remembering who has right of way. Old nautical ditty: « If to starboard Red appear, ‘Tis your duty to keep clear ».

Peter wrote:

Left wing = communist = red (commies usually have a red flag)

I love that. And I always wondered about the percentage of pilots who couldn’t answer that question. Must be something like 80%. It is so visible yet absolutely irrelevant to most flying.

Every old trade has its own dialect. Try to speak to a hunter or a miner. You will get the impression that he speaks a different language. The nautical terms are especially interesting because they often come from different languages, not very surprising given the inherent mobility of maritime trading. And they come of course from the language of whoever dominated the seas at the time of invention of a new tool or type of ship.

Oh, and by the way it is Backbord/Steuerbord in German. Backbord is the side your back points at when you are steering.

I remember them by the number of letters in the words.

Left has fewer letters than right.

Port has fewer letters than starboard

Red has fewer letters than green.

All the ones with fewer letters are on the same side (from the seated pilot’s point of view).

LeSving wrote:

Starboard (styrbord) literally means the “board” (plank) where the rudder was fastened on viking ships.

Oddly, that’s how I remember port/starboard. In a history lesson at school, the teacher explained the same thing as you and for some reason it just stuck with me that the rudder was on the right side of the Viking ships, and the tillerman stood on a “steer board” → “starboard”.

Peter wrote:

I remember them as:
Left wing = communist = red (commies usually have a red flag)

There’s no Red Port Left…

After dining, one always passes the Port to the Left.
Mostly it is red.
The only time I have been served a green digestif, was at a Monastery.

Personally, I enjoyed LeSving’s Viking nomenclature origins.

Clipperstorch wrote:

The nautical terms are especially interesting because they often come from different languages, not very surprising given the inherent mobility of maritime trading.

That would explain the pronunciation of “boatswain”. Maybe.