If you’re planning to get Microsoft Flight Simulator and you want a more immersive experience, Thrustmaster just announced a rather impressive set of controls.
The French peripheral manufacturer revealed its TCA (Thrustmaster Civil Aviation) product range officially licensed by Airbus for PC.
It includes an “Officer Pack” for $159.99, £149.99, or €159.99 including both sidestick and a thrust levers quadrant, the sidestick on its own for $69.99, £64.99, or €69.99, or the quadrant on its own for $99.99, £89.99, or €99.99. At the moment the Officer Pack doesn’t appear to be available for pre-order in North America for now.
The sidestick releases on June 25, the quadrant on September 24, and the Officer Pack comes at the same time as the quadrant.
If you’re not familiar with the “sidestick” term, it’s basically a Joystick intended to be on your left or right, as it is on the cockpit of an Airbus airliner cockpit, on the left for the captain and on the right for the first officer.
The sidestick includes 12 remappable buttons and throttle/rudder axis. The throttle axis as a built-in thrust reverser.
The quadrant includes 16 buttons and controls, dual thrust levers with reversers, and you can even link two together if you want to splurge when simulating a four-engine aircraft.
For maximum realism, at a later date, the company will release a Quadrant add-on replicating controls for air brake, flaps, autobrake, and parking brake. Price and release date for this accessory will be revealed later this year.
Incidentally, if you really want the full setup, you’d also need to purchase a set of rudder pedals, which Thrustmaster already sells separately for $99.99.
Below you can find a trailer, a few images, and an official list of features.
- Ergonomic 1:1 scale replicas: sidestick and throttle quadrant inspired by those found on iconic Airbus airliners, officially licensed by Airbus.
- Joystick featuring 4 swappable head button modules, 12 remappable buttons, built-in throttle, plus rudder control by rotating the handle (lockable/unlockable).
- Throttle quadrant featuring 2 navigational axes, with 16 buttons and controls (detents, switches, and even a thrust reverser mechanism) for a multitude of possibilities during takeoff, in flight, upon landing, and when on the ground.
- Contactless magnetic sensor technology, with no potentiometers, for an unlimited lifespan and optimal precision.
- Compatible with the Thrustmaster T.Flight Rudder Pedals (TFRP) and Thrustmaster Pendular Rudder (TPR) rudder systems, as well as with the TM Flying Clamp (all sold separately).
- Just plug and play: both devices are automatically recognized in the games Microsoft Flight Simulator and X-Plane 11.
