Flight Stick · X-Plane 12
Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition
- Budget
- Hall-effect sensors
- PC
- 4 axes · 17 buttons
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X-Plane 12 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 X-Plane 12
The Thrustmaster TCA Sidestick Airbus suits X-Plane 12 pilots who want an A320 sidestick on the desk, with a throttle lever built into the base so you can set climb power and leave it. The trade-off: the lever sits on the base rather than a separate quadrant, and it's PC only, so no Xbox or PS5.
Updated October 2026
Pros & Cons for X-Plane 12
Strengths
- Hall-effect sensors on the main axes read your inputs with magnets instead of rubbing contacts, so the stick sits still at center — hold a bank in a long turn or hand-fly short final and the nose stays where you put it instead of drifting.
- The throttle lever lives on the stick base, so you can set climb thrust and leave it there while you trim and watch the speed; at this price a lot of sticks give you the stick and nothing else, and you also get 4 axes and 17 programmable inputs for flaps, gear, trim and views.
- A good fit for the Airbus flyer who wants the 1:1 licensed sidestick shape under the right hand, and the ambidextrous grip means left-handers can set it up on the other side; it still leaves room to add rudder pedals or a separate quadrant later as your setup grows.
Trade-offs
- The throttle is an axis on the base, not a lever quadrant with detents — the notches you feel for climb and takeoff thrust — so in an X-Plane 12 Airbus departure you're setting power by watching the display rather than clicking into a gate.
- Spring tension is fixed and the body is plastic, so you can't soften or stiffen the centering for helicopter work; the next step up in price, with a separate quadrant, is where you get a real lever quadrant with detents.
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 X-Plane 12?
Yes, especially if your X-Plane 12 hangar leans Airbus, and it earns 76.3/100 for the sim. It shines on hand-flown approaches and long cruise legs, where the Hall-effect sensors keep the center steady and the base throttle lets you set and forget a power setting. It shows its limits if you want a lever quadrant with notched thrust gates, or adjustable spring weight for helicopters and warbirds.
Is it worth the price for X-Plane 12?
For the money you get contactless Hall-effect sensors, a built-in throttle and a twist rudder in one box, where plenty of sticks ask you to buy the throttle separately. If you already own a throttle quadrant, you're mainly paying for the licensed A320 sidestick shape and the 17 programmable inputs.
Which platforms does it work on?
It's a PC stick only, which matches X-Plane 12 — the sim runs on PC and Mac and isn't on Xbox or PS5, so plan on using it with your Windows PC. Don't buy an adapter hoping to use it on a console; console-licensed sticks will work on a PC, but this one doesn't travel the other way.
Do I need rudder pedals with it?
No, not to get flying: the twist grip gives you rudder by rotating the stick, so you can taxi and keep straight on the roll out of the box. Pedals become worth adding once you're doing crosswind landings or lots of ground handling, and when you add them, unassign the twist axis so your hand doesn't feed in rudder you didn't ask for.
How should I configure this in X-Plane 12?
First open X-Plane 12's joystick settings and check pitch, roll, throttle and the twist rudder are all assigned to the right axes before you fly. If it feels twitchy, add a small null zone (a dead patch at center where small movements do nothing) and soften the response curve per axis — give the twist rudder a slightly bigger null zone than pitch and roll, because your hand rotates a little whenever you push the stick forward.