Enhancing Safety Through Partnership: Sidestick Priority Event Development

At Scaled Analytics, some of our most valuable innovations come directly from collaboration with our customers. The following example — shared with permission from one of our airline partners, who has chosen to remain anonymous — illustrates how Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) can be used not only to detect exceedances, but also to verify adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and strengthen overall flight safety.

From Observation to Action

During routine data review, one of our customers identified opportunities to better track proper procedure adherence during dual sidestick events. They suggested creating a new FDM event to confirm whether pilots were correctly using the Sidestick Priority Button — a key part of Airbus procedures designed to prevent conflicting control inputs.

Our analysts worked closely with the customer’s safety and training teams to explore this idea. Using the data map they provided, we identified the relevant parameters (Sidestick Priority Button LH and Sidestick Priority Button RH) and developed a custom event that could detect when either pilot pressed the sidestick priority button.

Testing and Implementation

After preliminary validation, the customer supplied a list of flights where proper procedures were both followed and not followed. Our team used these cases to verify that the new event triggered as expected — accurately distinguishing between normal instructor inputs, inadvertent dual inputs, and genuine control takeovers.

Once testing confirmed consistent performance, the new Sidestick Priority Captain and Sidestick Priority FO events were added to the customer’s event set as “None” severity events. This classification allows operators to add or test events in their system without affecting existing reports — an excellent way to fine-tune event logic or monitor new SOP-related items.

Screenshot of Sky Analyst FDM displaying the event details.

A Deeper Understanding of Crew Interaction

The results of this collaboration were immediate. The customer was able to use the new events to analyze sidestick interactions more precisely, distinguishing between overlapping inputs and proper takeover actions. As one of their safety representatives noted:

“By monitoring this event in different scenarios, and after analyzing the events that led to a take-over, we’ve been able to improve our overall training for our pool of pilots and recreate scenarios requiring fast action and proper corrective responses.”

A True Partnership in Safety

This project highlights what can be achieved when operators and analysts work hand-in-hand. By combining operational insight from the flight deck with analytical expertise from our team, new tools can be developed that not only enhance data monitoring, but also strengthen safety culture and training effectiveness.

At Scaled Analytics, we believe the best solutions emerge through collaboration — turning ideas into measurable safety improvements, one event at a time.

Let’s keep in touch

Sign up to get notified of new blog posts, videos or other news and information related to flight data.