{
  "id": 7113129,
  "title": "Thrustmaster Airbus Add-On Grip with AVA Joystick Base Review: A First-Class Flight Experience",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/thrustmaster-airbus-add-on-grip-with-ava-joystick-base-review-a-first",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-13T13:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tom's Hardware",
    "slug": "tom-s-hardware",
    "url": "https://www.tomshardware.com/peripherals/controllers-gamepads/thrustmaster-airbus-add-on-grip-with-ava-joystick-base-review"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The past few years have seen a surge in flight simulation hardware, with both established and new brands offering a wide range of affordable products for building a home cockpit. Thrustmaster, a leader in this field, has introduced the AVA Joystick Base in 2024, offering several improvements over its previous Warthog base.\n\nFor this review, Tom's Hardware tested the recently released Thrustmaster Airbus Add-On Grip paired with the AVA Joystick Base using the Fenix A320 in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The box contained the grip, an A400M module, a button cover for the AVA Base, which included a joystick base, two sets of two cams, three sets of two springs, three masks, two Allen keys, and a detachable USB-C cable. Additional items included an AVA Base Plate and an AVA Dual Pitch Cam for desktop mounting and simulating fly-by-wire aircraft.\n\nThe AVA Base boasts a premium feel with a high-quality plastic outer shell and a metal top plate. However, it requires an optional Base Plate for stability and additional damping for smoother stick movement. The Airbus Add-On Grip matches the shape and ergonomics of the Airbus A3XX sidestick, featuring the red autopilot disconnect button and interchangeable modules for A3XX or A400M configurations. Both products use Hall effect sensors with 16-bit precision.\n\nThe AVA Base provides a high degree of customization, allowing users to adjust the axis curve, resistance, deflection travel, and damping. The user manual offers recommended configurations for various aircraft. The Airbus Add-On Grip also offers customization options, such as transforming the grip from an A3XX sidestick into an A400M sidestick and utilizing the Z-axis lock for twist inputs.\n\nOverall, customizing the base and grip was straightforward. The AVA Base's progressive resistance and improved feel compared to the Thrustmaster Warthog made it a significant step forward in flight simulation hardware.",
  "summary": "The Thrustmaster Airbus Add-On Grip with the AVA Joystick Base is a 1:1 replica of an Airbus sidestick, featuring extensive customization and Hall-effect sensors across all axes.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}