The principal reason for using sidesticks is ergonomics. Removing the control yokes allows for larger flight displays and—in the latest cockpits—pilots can be moved closer to the instrument panels, allowing use of touchscreens. The biggest drawback of the “passive” sidesticks now used in civil aircraft is the lack of control feedback from the aircraft or the other pilot.
But the transfer of “active inceptor” technology to the commercial sector from the military is helping to overcome that objection. Active sidesticks that provide tactile and visual feedback in response to pilot and autopilot commands are used in the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and Sikorsky CH-53K heavylift helicopter. Now Gulfstream is the first civil manufacturer to adopt active sidesticks, for its new G500 and G600 business jets.