Originally Posted by
321XLR
and grip the base...
I see many FO gripping the sidestick in many different ways, and while it may seem easier at first to handle the sidestick by the base, or by the top using only the thumb and the index fingers, the most important thing is to have the index finger ready to transmit on the radio, and the thumb ready to press the takeoverbutton in case the other pilot gets incapacitated. Teaching any pilot to grip the sidestick in any way different than the airbus way is not a wise thing, in my opinion...