For a lot of moons now, the Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog has sat on the high of our greatest joysticks information, staring down threateningly on the plastic-based choices under. It is fairly probably one of the substantial bits of {hardware} we have ever examined in the case of construct high quality and delivers a considerable dose of realism—for a barely eye-watering $550.
Thrustmaster has been beavering away on a brand new flight stick base design, nevertheless, and it calls it the AVA. That stands for Superior Versatile Aviation, and it is basically a modular base for Thrustmaster’s future flight sticks. You should buy it as a separate unit, or you’ll be able to select to purchase it as a part of the AVA FA18 Tremendous Hornet flight stick bundle, as I’ve in entrance of me right here.
That will get you the flamboyant new AVA base, a 1:1 scale duplicate of the grip and stick controls from the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet, an offset adapter, and a big baseplate to carry it secure in your desk. All informed, the entire bundle will price you $600/£500, which isn’t any small quantity of change—notably once you consider that it would not include a devoted throttle management, just like the HOTAS Warthog.
Nonetheless, we’ll get to that in a second. What you may discover most when pulling all of those elements from their respective containers is the sheer heft. The AVA base itself seems to have the density of a small star and feels one thing like holding a small, angular bowling ball. Trying on the engineering happening inside although, it is actually no shock. Every thing about it appears immensely overbuilt each inside and outside, which is a really promising begin.
Thrustmaster AVA F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet specs
Kind: Flight stickConnectivity: USB Kind-C to USB Kind-A (cable included)Controls: 1x eight-way POV hat, 2x four-way hats with push button, 1x steel two-step set off, 4x push buttons, 1x two-way push buttonExtra options: Adjustable base, included instruments, spare springs for stress adjustment and cams for axis adjustment, base platePrice: $600/£500
Then there’s the baseplate. It seems a bit like an outsized mouse mat, till you attempt to decide it up and realise that it is also used as bullet-proof armour. Fortunately, mounting the 2 collectively is merely a matter of including 4 included screws, though given the burden of each elements, it is nonetheless a little bit of a fiddle.
Nonetheless, given the complexity of among the different flight stick assemblies I’ve constructed not too long ago, it is candy reduction. The stick itself plugs into the highest of the bottom, earlier than securing itself with a twisting ring-lock mechanism. It is all very well-manufactured and plainly apparent to determine, which instantly provides factors in my e book. Flight sticks are often fiddly to assemble. This one? A breeze.
Equally breezy are the connection choices, that are: one USB Kind-C port and…nope, that is it. Regardless of being a bundle bundle right here, you may be up and working in 5 minutes, together with unboxing. There’s an included (relatively brief) USB Kind-C to Kind-A cable, spare springs of varied strengths for the internals of the bottom mechanism, a set of inner replaceable cams to regulate the axis curve, and two hex keys. These mean you can alter the interior spring stress of the X and Y axis by poking them into two discrete holes on high of the bottom unit, which is an immensely satisfying factor to do.
Did I point out simply how superbly mechanical all that is? I am a sucker for a beautiful mechanism, and this bundle delivers in spades. It actually does really feel like boutique, high-tolerance engineering at its best, and that is earlier than you begin swinging the stick round itself.
Once more, the phrase I wish to use right here is weighty. At default stress, you’ll be able to completely see why Thrustmaster ships this bundle with the baseplate included, as given the resistance right here, you’d tip it over instantly if it wasn’t anchored all the way down to one thing substantial. There is a wonderful, dampened, wrist-pleasing heaviness to the motion that instantly places a smile on my face. A superb-feeling factor.
The stick itself is, how shall I put this…considerably suggestive-looking, within the flesh. I’ve by no means had the pleasure (or terror, relying on the way you have a look at it) of sitting in an F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet, so I can not inform you for positive if it is 100% correct. It definitely seems and feels the half, nevertheless, and if you happen to’d informed me it had been pulled straight from the spare elements bin on the precise plane manufacturing unit, I would have believed you.
You get 19 buttons in whole to play with. That features one eight-way POV hat, two four-way hats with push button performance, a steel two-step set off, two common push buttons, two “pinkie push” buttons, and an additional two-way push button for good measure. Lots, I would argue, with out swamping the common consumer with a load of controls to by accident knock and press on the worst potential second.
This specific grip is designed to natively combine with DCS: F/A-18C Hornet, however I did not really feel like spending $80 on a faux airplane, so I examined it primarily with bog-standard DCS World as an alternative. Connection is an easy matter of plugging within the cable, downloading the drivers and Thrustmaster’s Goal software program from the web site, and auto-detecting the stick.
All flight stick management software program feels, at finest, antiquated. Thrustmaster’s isn’t any exception, however on the very least it appeared to determine many of the configuration by itself with some poking and prodding. There are all kinds of tweakery and configuration choices to be completed right here, however leaving it on the default program and leaping right into a recreation, I used to be pleasantly stunned.
It is at all times a little bit of a faff organising flight sim controls, however the Thrustmaster AVA F/A-18 equipment has to rank as essentially the most painless I’ve configured but. DCS World had no issues recognising it, and mapping buttons was so simple as discovering the suitable management choice and linking it to the button most suited.
By default it’d found out that one of many hats was finest for cockpit view management, the axis motion was correctly configured—and other than discovering an acceptable management to sacrifice for throttle actions—it could not have gone way more easily.
On that be aware: for $600, I would actually like a devoted throttle unit, relatively than paying further for a standalone. That being stated, there are many choices accessible right here that make sense as throttle controls, and mapping every little thing to an intuitive one-hand setup was quite simple. Nonetheless, I like me an excellent throttle motion, and for this form of money, I reckon integrating a primary one within the base can be a wise transfer.
So, what’s it wish to fly? In a phrase? Bloomin’ pretty. Okay, that is two phrases, however I’ve to say that the feeling right here is completely pleasant. It is the burden of the motion and the stick itself that basically contributes to the texture right here, however I’ve to say this stick and base combo feels simpler to fly than different, snappier sticks I’ve examined.
Maybe I am simply garbage at flight video games, however having a predictable, heavy motion beneath my wrist implies that small actions are simpler to foretell, and there is an intentionality added by the resistance which means you may be swooping across the skies just like the Pink Baron very quickly in any respect.
That base plate does an admirable job of maintaining issues secure as properly, though I’ll say that the ft on the underside might do with some work. They do not slip simply, however I feel I would like them to be stickier to supply only a contact extra slipping resistance. This can range in response to your desk floor in fact, however on my varnished wood desk, they did often slip only a contact. Not sufficient to be repeatedly annoying, as with different sticks I’ve used, but it surely did occur greater than as soon as.
In any other case, although, this setup delivers meaningfully chunky flight stick motion in a single, well-thought-out and intensely well-built bundle. Greater than that, it is about as easy to construct and set-up because it might probably be, and it is an actual looker in your desktop as properly, even when it’s a contact phallic.
It is simply that value that provides me pause. See, I’ve not too long ago examined the VKB Gladiator NXT vary of flight peripherals, and there you will get an excellent flight stick, throttle management, and extra buttons and modular choices than you’ll be able to shake a stick at for $450. It is also an excellent feeling system, with glorious mechanisms and chunky buttons. I would say that the Thrustmaster AVA F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet system is even higher to make use of, because of all of the steel concerned in its development, however what you are getting here’s a easier system for fairly a bit extra cash.
Purchase if…
✅ You are searching for luxurious: It is a really premium-feeling object, and appears improbable from all angles.
✅ You want a weighty motion: There is a real heft to the stick motion (though you’ll be able to lighten it up if it is an excessive amount of) that makes for very correct inputs.
Do not buy if…
❌ You are on a price range: As pretty an object as that is, $600 seems like loads given the choices accessible from the competitors.
❌ You need devoted throttle controls : You may map the accessible controls right here to compensate, however for this form of money a correct throttle management seems like a obvious omission.
However relying in your use case, simplicity is perhaps key. In the event you’re a flight sim obsessive, then the VKBs have you ever coated. It is the last word complete system for flight followers. For most individuals, although? It’s miles an excessive amount of of a fiddle.
In the event you’re somebody who desires a superb, straightforward to arrange, tremendous premium flight stick that is simply going to get on with its job and ship giggles for weeks, I’ve at hand it to the Thrustmaster. And if it was $500, I would be singing its praises from the rooftops.
However $600 feels prefer it’s entered a wholly new value bracket, particularly when you’ll be able to nonetheless decide up its predecessor for $50 much less, full with separate throttle management. That being stated, it would not have the improbable AVA base as customary, though you may improve it individually—for a critically substantial $300.
It comes all the way down to this: In the event you’ve bought the money to splash and do not care about taking issues to the acute in the case of choices, that is the stick I would purchase. There are a lot of, many cheaper choices, however for the texture of flight alone I would say this was the most effective I’ve examined so far. If Thrustmaster knocked $100 off the asking value, I would say each different flight stick producer available on the market ought to be critically anxious. As it’s? It is only a contact an excessive amount of to really knock its rivals off their perches.