Flight Stick · X-Plane 12
Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas X Flight Stick and Throttle
- Budget
- PC
- 5 axes · 12 buttons
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X-Plane 12 Performance Score
- Sensors30% 40
- Throttle & Rudder25% 100
- Build Quality15% 50
- Platforms15% 50
- Adjustability15% 60
Biggest contributor: throttle and rudder (25% of the score), rated 100/100. How we score
Verdict for X-Plane 12
The Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas X suits simmers moving up from a gamepad in X-Plane 12, with its own throttle unit you can set for the climb and leave while you trim. The trade-offs: plastic build, no stated sensor type, and it's PC only.
Updated October 2026
Pros & Cons for X-Plane 12
Strengths
- The detachable throttle gives you a real HOTAS setup, meaning hands on throttle and stick: you can push up climb power in a Cessna or an airliner, leave it there, and keep your right hand on the stick for the whole departure.
- Twisting the grip works the rudder, so you can kick in a boot of rudder to straighten up on a crosswind landing without owning pedals yet — for the money, very few sticks hand you pitch, roll, throttle and rudder in one box.
- With 5 axes and 12 programmable inputs, and X-Plane letting you assign any axis or button, it covers trim, flaps, views and gear on a light single, and it still earns a spot if you add TFRP rudder pedals later.
Trade-offs
- Thrustmaster never says the main axes use contactless Hall-effect sensors, the kind that don't wear, so after a lot of hours the stick can get jittery or drift and the nose may wander when you click off the autopilot on short final; a recalibration or a small null zone in X-Plane usually settles it.
- The next step up in price buys contactless Hall-effect sensors and sturdier parts; here everything is plastic, the grip is right-handed only, and the twist rudder will never be as fine as pedals when you're holding the centerline in gusty conditions.
Full Specifications
- Sensors
- Not stated by the maker
- Throttle
- Its own throttle unit
- Rudder
- Twist grip
- Grip
- Right hand
- Spring tension
- Adjustable
- Build
- Plastic
- Axes
- 5
- Buttons
- 12
- Works on
- PC
- Released
- 2008
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a good Flight Stick for X-Plane 12?
Yes, for a first proper stick in X-Plane 12 it does the job, and it scores 61.0/100 here. It shines when you want a throttle you can set and forget plus rudder in the same hand, which covers general aviation hops and simple airliner legs. It shows its limits on long sessions and precise work, where the unstated sensor type and the plastic build hold it back.
Is it worth the price for X-Plane 12?
For what it costs, you get a stick, a separate throttle and a rudder axis together, where a lot of alternatives give you the stick alone and leave the throttle and rudder as extra purchases. If you want contactless sensors and sturdier materials, you'll need to look at the next step up in price.
Which platforms does it work on?
It's PC only, which lines up fine with X-Plane 12, since the sim runs on Windows PC (and Mac) and isn't on Xbox or PS5 at all. It won't work on a console even with an adapter, so don't pay extra elsewhere for console licensing you can't use with X-Plane.
Do I need rudder pedals with it?
No, you don't need pedals to start: the twist grip handles the rudder, and no pedals come in the box. Add pedals such as the TFRP when taxiing straight and crosswind landings start to frustrate you, and unassign the twist axis in X-Plane's controls once you do, so your hand and feet aren't fighting each other.
How should I configure this in X-Plane 12?
First open X-Plane 12's controls page and check each axis is assigned the way you expect — pitch, roll, twist to rudder, and the throttle unit to throttle — then calibrate. If the nose feels twitchy or creeps while you hold a bank, add a small null zone (dead zone) around center and soften the response curve for pitch and roll; it also helps to set the adjustable spring tension on the heavier side so the stick returns cleanly to center.