A flight control system and method including a primary flight control path between one or more pilot controls and control surface actuators on an associated aircraft, wherein the primary control path includes one or more flight control computers and one or more first data concentrators; and a secondary flight control path between the one or more pilot controls and the control surface actuators, wherein the secondary flight control path utilizes direct mode control laws to control the control surface actuators; wherein the primary flight control path and the secondary flight control path are independent from each other and the secondary flight control path is operative upon detection of a fault in the primary flight control path.