Throttle Quadrant · X-Plane 12
Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant Airbus
- Budget
- 2 levers
- Detents
- PC and Xbox
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X-Plane 12 Performance Score
- Throttle & Rudder35% 55
- Sensors20% 100
- Detent Feel15% 100
- Platforms15% 100
- Build Quality15% 50
Biggest contributor: sensors (20% of the score), rated 100/100. How we score
Verdict for X-Plane 12
The Thrustmaster TCA Quadrant Airbus suits X-Plane 12 simmers flying Airbus jets: two thrust levers with detents, the notches you feel at climb power, replace a keyboard key. It's shaped for Airbus flying, and flaps, speed brake, gear and trim live on a separate add-on quadrant.
Updated October 2026
Pros & Cons for X-Plane 12
Strengths
- Two thrust levers with detents — notches the levers settle into — let you push up to takeoff power and then pull straight back to the climb detent after rotation without dropping your eyes to the desk to hunt for a percentage.
- Thrust reversers sit on the levers and engine master switches sit on the quadrant, so you can lift the reverser latches on the landing roll and start or cut an engine from the same unit, with contactless magnetic Hall effect sensors reading lever position without parts rubbing together.
- Best fit is the simmer flying A320-style jets in X-Plane 12 beside a sidestick, but X-Plane lets you reassign each lever, so one can run throttle and the other mixture (the fuel-air control) in a Cessna with its own response curve.
Trade-offs
- Flaps, speed brake, gear and trim aren't on this unit — they live on a separate add-on quadrant from the same range, so in X-Plane 12 you'll still reach for the keyboard or mouse to drop the gear on approach unless you budget for that second piece.
- Two levers cover a twin jet and nothing more; the next step up in price buys quadrants with extra levers for prop twins and GA singles, or an autopilot panel for heading, altitude and speed, so here you'll still dial the flight plan in with the mouse.
Full Specifications
- Type
- Airbus A320-style replica
- Levers
- 2
- Detents
- Yes
- Extra controls
- thrust reversers, engine master switches
- Sensors
- Hall effect (contactless)
- Works on
- PC, Xbox
- On Xbox
- Plugs into the TCA Sidestick X Airbus
- Released
- 2020
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a good Throttle Quadrant for X-Plane 12?
Yes, if Airbus jets are what you fly in X-Plane 12, where it scores 76.8/100. It shines on the parts of the flight you normally fudge with a key: setting takeoff power, dropping back into the climb detent, and pulling reverse thrust on the landing roll. It shows its limits the moment you want flaps, speed brake, gear or trim on the quadrant, or a third lever for a prop aircraft.
Is it worth the price for X-Plane 12?
For the money you're paying for Airbus-specific hardware — the detents, the reverser latches and the engine master switches — rather than a generic set of sliders. Spend less and you get plain levers with no detents; spend more and you get extra levers, an autopilot panel or a full pedestal, so this makes most sense if the A320 is your main aircraft in X-Plane 12.
What does it need to work?
For X-Plane 12 it plugs into a Windows PC or Mac over USB, which is all you need, since X-Plane 12 doesn't run on Xbox or PS5. It is also Xbox-capable, but on a console it connects to the TCA Sidestick X Airbus rather than to the console itself, so that route is irrelevant for X-Plane flying.
What else do I need with it?
Pair it with a sidestick or a yoke for pitch and roll, and rudder pedals if you want to handle a crosswind landing with your feet instead of twisting a stick. On the desk, sit it on the side your throttle hand uses — to the right of a sidestick if you fly from the left seat — and clamp or weigh it down so the levers don't drag the unit toward you.
How should I configure this in X-Plane 12?
In X-Plane 12, open the joystick setup, move each lever and assign it, usually throttle 1 and throttle 2 for a jet, or throttle, prop and mixture if you split them across aircraft; then check the response curve per axis so the levers track the aircraft smoothly. One tip for this quadrant: calibrate the full travel first so the detent positions line up with climb and max power in the sim, and bind the reverser latches and engine master switches while you're in there so the landing roll and engine start work without the keyboard.