Flight Stick · Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition
- Budget
- Hall-effect sensors
- PC
- 4 axes · 17 buttons
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MSFS Performance Score
- Sensors30% 100
- Throttle & Rudder25% 91
- Build Quality15% 50
- Platforms15% 50
- Adjustability15% 57
Biggest contributor: sensors (30% of the score), rated 100/100. How we score
Verdict for MSFS
The Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus suits PC simmers who fly the A320, with a throttle lever built into the base so you can set climb power and leave it while you trim. The catch: it is PC only, spring tension is fixed, and rudder comes from twisting the grip.
Updated October 2026
Pros & Cons for MSFS
Strengths
- Hall-effect sensors read the stick with magnets instead of rubbing contacts, so the center stays steady and the nose doesn't wander when you click the autopilot off on short final.
- The throttle lever lives in the stick's base, so you can set climb power and leave it alone while you trim and watch the speed; at this price a lot of what else is sold is a stick and nothing else, with throttle left on the keyboard.
- It's an officially licensed 1:1 A320 sidestick replica with an ambidextrous grip, so you can set it up on the left like the captain's seat, and its 17 programmable inputs cover flaps, gear, views and autopilot — add rudder pedals later and the setup grows with you.
Trade-offs
- The throttle is an axis on the base rather than a lever quadrant with detents (the notches you feel for climb or TOGA power), so Airbus thrust settings mean watching the display instead of feeling a stop; a proper quadrant is a separate purchase later.
- Spring tension is fixed and the body is plastic, so you can't lighten or stiffen the centering force for a long hand-flown leg — adjustable tension and metal parts are what the next step up in price tends to buy you.
Full Specifications
- Sensors
- Hall effect (contactless)
- Throttle
- Throttle levers on the base
- Rudder
- Twist grip
- Grip
- Either hand (ambidextrous)
- Spring tension
- Fixed
- Build
- Plastic
- Axes
- 4
- Buttons
- 17
- Works on
- PC
- Released
- 2020
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a good Flight Stick for MSFS?
Yes, if you fly MSFS on PC and spend most of your time in Airbus airliners — it scores 76.3/100 for the sim. It shines in the A320, where the sidestick shape matches the real aircraft, the Hall-effect sensors hold a steady center through a long approach, and the base throttle means you don't need a second device on day one. It shows its limits if you want thrust detents you can feel, adjustable spring tension, or anything outside a Windows PC.
Is it worth the price for MSFS?
For the money you get contactless magnetic sensors, a throttle and a twist rudder in one unit, where much of what else sits at this level is just a stick with no throttle at all. If Airbus airliners are your thing on PC, that combination earns its keep; if you want a lever quadrant with notches, put the money toward the next step up instead.
Does it work on Xbox or PS5?
PC only for MSFS — it will not work on Xbox Series X|S or PS5, even through an adapter, since Xbox accepts only Xbox-licensed sticks and MSFS on PS5 supports just a few Thrustmaster controls (T.Flight Hotas 4 and 5, and the PS5 TCA Sky Yoke). Xbox Cloud Gaming in a browser or on a phone doesn't take flight sticks either, so plan on a Windows machine.
Do I need rudder pedals with it?
No, not to get flying: rudder is on the twist grip, so you can keep the centerline on takeoff without pedals, and none are included. Pedals become worth adding once you're taxiing tight taxiways or kicking out drift on a crosswind landing — when they arrive, unbind the twist axis or give it a big dead zone so you don't feed in rudder every time you hold a bank.
How should I configure this in MSFS?
Plug it in, open the MSFS control settings and check the profile has loaded, with pitch, roll, twist rudder and the base throttle all mapped to the right axes. If the nose feels twitchy, add a small dead zone (a bit of slack around center the sim ignores) and soften the sensitivity curve; then check the throttle axis reaches both idle and full travel, because every Airbus power setting lives on that one lever.