Throttles & Quadrants

A separate throttle quadrant is the upgrade most simmers wish they had made sooner.

Flying a twin with a single throttle axis means you cannot manage asymmetric thrust, cannot simulate an engine failure properly, and cannot set up a realistic descent. A quadrant gives you independent levers for each engine, plus the prop and mixture controls that general aviation aircraft actually have.

Honeycomb’s Bravo is the one most people end up with. Six axes, configurable lever heads so you can build a jet, a turboprop or a piston twin, an autopilot panel across the top and an annunciator that actually lights up. Logitech’s Saitek quadrant is simpler and cheaper and stacks, so you can run two or three side by side if you fly four-engine aircraft.

Airbus flyers are a different case. The A320 does not have levers you move continuously, it has detented thrust levers you set and leave. Thrustmaster’s TCA range is built around that, and using a conventional quadrant for an Airbus always feels slightly wrong.

Check mounting before you buy. Most quadrants clamp to a desk edge, and desks with a thick lip or a rounded front can be a problem.