Definition
The pilot position on the left side of the cockpit in side-by-side aircraft, traditionally occupied by the pilot in command (PIC) in most fixed-wing airplanes. The left seat is the reference position from which standard control layouts, sight pictures, and maneuver descriptions are typically described in training materials.
Plain English
The seat on the left side of the cockpit. In most airplanes, this is where the pilot in charge sits.
Context Anchor
You may see this term in flight training when a maneuver is described from the pilot's normal seat position, especially when outside visual references matter.
Why Pilots Care
Maneuver descriptions in handbooks usually assume the pilot is in the left seat. A pilot flying from the right seat (common during instruction or in helicopters) must mentally adjust the described sight pictures and references.
Intuition Check
Do not read left seat as just any seat on the left side of the airplane. Here it means the left pilot seat in the cockpit, using left and right as seen while facing forward.
Example Sentence 1
When practicing turns around a point from the left seat, the pilot looks out the left window to keep the reference point in sight during a left turn.
Example Sentence 2
Most single-engine airplanes are designed so the pilot in the left seat has the best view of the runway during landing.