> The valve: The builder not only placed the valve in a non-standard location [behind the pilot's left shoulder], he also rotated it in such a way that turning the valve to the right turned on the left fuel tank. This ensured that a pilot unfamiliar with the aircraft, upon hearing the engine begin missing and spotting in his mirror that the left fuel tank was empty, would attempt to rotate the fuel valve to the right, away from the full tank, guaranteeing his destruction.

So the builder intended you turn the backwards valve right, towards the left wing, and that activates the left fuel tank? This certainly sounds like a better human interface than turning the backwards valve left, towards the right wing, and activating the left tank.