What is it?

The Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick is a well crafted 1:1 scale replica of the famous FA-18 flight stick. Priced from $950 AUD/ $680 USD offers a high-end and customizable experience for combat flight simulation.

Key Features

  • 1 to 1 replicate of the FA-18 stick
  • Additional springs and cams included with damping
  • Included offset adaptor allowing for rotation of the stick from 0,15 and 30 degrees

About The Author:

Reviewer: Sean

Sean is a pilot with over two decades of experience in aviation and senior technology roles within Airlines and Non-Profit sectors. He’s a lifelong flight simmer and avid VR user, blending his passion for flying with cutting-edge technology. From cockpit to virtual skies, Sean loves all things Tech and Aviation.

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Unboxing

I do have to admit that I am a real sucker for presentation and design and the first thing I noticed about the Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Stick was just how well presented everything was. From the outside of the box right through the unboxing process, there is no doubt that the premium price for this unit has been well spent on presentation of this device and the unboxing experience.

Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick Review
Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick Review

Similarly to other flight controls I’ve reviewed, the box containing the product is protected in a shipping box. The inner box is a beautiful matte black covered container that has your membership card attached, and once opened reveals the plastic wrapped heavy base plate perched on a foam separator that once removed reveals the rest of the product.

Everything is well protected in plastic wrapping and countersunk in a felt-like covered plastic that provides a premium feel to the protection of the hardware. Here lies the flight stick, the rotator adaptor, base and accessories kit in its own smaller box.

Removing the stick from its plastic protection nestled very comfortably in its cocoon I quickly noticed the weight of this stick. It feels heavy and very well put together.

The base is equally, if not more protected with the use of foam around the neck of the base and various warnings about the correct method of securing the stick to the base.

Opening the accessories box I was glad to find a selection of springs, cams and deflection rings that adjust the total degrees of motion included in the base product without the need to purchase an additional accessories pack separately.

Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick Review
Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick Review
Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick Review
Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick Review

Box Contents:

  • AVA Base
  • F/A-18C Hornet HOTAS Stick
  • Rotation Offset Adaptor
  • Base Plate
  • Accessory pack:
    • 2 sets of 2 cams: Aero and Jet (default)
    • 3 sets of 2 springs: Soft, Medium and Hard (default)
    • 3 x deflection masks: S, M and XL (default)
    • 2 x hex keys
    • 1 x USB-C to Type A cable (1.8m long)
    • Operation guide, instruction manual, warranty information flyer
Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick Review

Construction and Materials

Taking a deeper look at the flight sick, you notice the quality of materials used. There is no button sloppiness here, everything it tight and feels like it would be up the task of being placed in the real aircraft. The stick is 2 main pieces, one being a metal stalk beautifully machined mated to an injection molded plastic head that contains your weapon buttons, Sensor control and trim switches. The gaps between the metal and plastic are all even and of a quality you would expect from a stick in this price range. All buttons are plastic except for the weapon select switch which is the same metal material used in the stick’s shaft.

Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick
Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick

Located central to the head of the stick is a well-placed 3 position thumb rocker switch that includes up/down and a centre click for additional assignment within the simulator. A concern of mine with these kinds of sticks modelled off a real aircraft is what do you do for the various additional buttons you need for things like radio calls, menu interaction etc so I’m pleased that additional buttons were thought of and included.

Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick
Nice to have well-placed additional buttons!

Moving to the base, you’re greeted with an equally as impressive use of materials here. The top of the base and yellow/black securing ring is brushed metal with a plastic casing making up the remainder of the externals of the base. Additionally on the top are two holes on opposing sides of the top face that allow for adjustment of the springs inside the base.  These holes allow access to the hex bolts and with the included hex keys either tighten or loosen the tension on the installed springs. This is a great easy way to fine tune the feel without having to take the unit apart.

The base itself is a heavy unit that consists of a metal underside that also serves as the securing point for various base plates such as the one included or even one from the older Thrustmaster Warthog.

It’s interesting that while tools are provided for all the stick adjustments, the base is secured to the plate with four Phillips head bolts, but no Phillips head screwdriver is included. It’s a minor detail, and most of us probably have a Phillips head driver lying around, even if it’s the wrong size. However, it would be nice if everything you need to get started was included right out of the box.

Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick
Fine tuning is easy and painless for both pitch and roll

Moving to the front of the base is a configure button, USB-C port and status light. The configuration button is used to recalibrate the device when the top rings have been changed that adjust the travel range which can be adjusted through replacement rings from 30 to 43 degrees of travel available in the X and Y axis. The largest (43 degrees of travel) is installed out of the box.

Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick
The side no one sees, configuration button, USB-C and status light

Popping the hood is easily done with the included hex key and removing 4 hex bolts on the outside of the centre ring. Lifting the cover off reveals a very clean simple design allowing easy access to various configuration items such as springs, cams and the two dampers.

Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick

Included is also the rotator adaptor. This adaptor sits between the flight stick and the base and allows for the fixed rotation of either 0, 15 or 30 degrees providing additional comfort especially if mounted between your legs like in the real aircraft. Note that this isn’t a rotating adaptor providing yaw control. This stick does not have the ability to yaw/twist to provide rudder input. Perhaps an accessory might become available for this down the line like offered in other similar products from other companies.

While I appreciate the option to add offset functionality for comfort, it feels overengineered. Instead of an adapter that raises the height of the stick by 5 centimeters when installed, why not design the connector of either the stick or base to allow for some free rotation? This way, you could rotate the stick to your exact preference and once set, lock down by the tightening of the grey metal ring on the main stick.

Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick

Manual

I was pleased to see that a quick start and high-level overview of the how to adjust your stick is included in the form of two foldout pamphlets. There is also information on driver/software setup and warranty information included. While it does provide a good foundation of knowledge to get yourself up and running, I did find I had a few questions that had me driving to the website to look for a more in-depth manual. Easily found within the support section of the Thrustmaster website, you will find digital copies of not only the fold out pamphlets but also a full colour manual in multiple languages.

Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick
Looks clean and I like having everything in one place

Setup and Configuration

Initial setup is straightforward with the product already equipped with 2 x JET cams, 2 x strong springs, 2 x dampers and the XL ring installed from factory. For desktop testing, I elected to not install the offset adaptor as this raises the stick a further 5 centimeters and whilst seated quickly becomes uncomfortable having my wrist and arm that high for any period of time.

Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick

Driver installation was as simple as following the links on the included paperwork that takes you straight to the Thrustmaster website + driver download / firmware updater.

The installer available from the website includes the driver for the stick and a firmware updater. Installation was easy and done in minutes, once installed I plugged the stick in and headed over to the Windows Game Controller panel to check everything looked good. Entering the properties for the stick presents an updated UI that also includes a firmware updater. Unlike other products I’ve reviewed, at the time of writing I didn’t require a firmware update.

How does it feel?

For desk setup and use, the stick gripped my desk well. The weight of the stick and base plate fitted with 4 soft rubber feet resulted in no slippage at all. My desk is typical of many desks with a melamine top that has tiny indentations that reduce friction but also are not suited to other methods of securing devices such as suction cups used in other similar products. The base measures in at 23.2cm wide by 27.2cm long and is a good size and still works well when pulled right up to the edge of the desk.

In a fairly standard seated position with the throttles on my left, the keyboard in the center, and the stick in my right hand, I found the Thrustmaster stick comfortable to use during my testing. However, despite having hands that measure 19 cm from the base of my palm to the tip of my middle finger, and a palm spread of 21.5 cm, I occasionally had to adjust my grip to reach all the buttons during different phases of flight. Specifically, I needed to reposition to access the trim hat switch, which made the stick feel slightly oversized for my hands. Given that this is a 1:1 replica of the actual aircraft’s flight stick, the added bulk might be less noticeable with gloves. However, for those with smaller hands, the stick could feel quite large.

Sitting a little tall for my liking, need to get a chair with cutout to sink it down for comfort

Mounting into the simulator, I have to say it does look the part. Given the other Hornet specific hardware I run when in DCS, the Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Flight stick is a welcome and good-lookin’ addition. As the stick is mounted between my legs I installed the included offset adaptor with a setting of 30 degrees. Given I don’t have a recess cut out in the front of my seat, I do need to mount flight sticks so they sit just above the cushion which makes them typically a little higher than I would like. With the offset adaptor added I find that the stick is now quite high and while not uncomfortable, I wouldn’t say it’s a position I’d want long term for this stick. So much so that I’m thinking of replacing the seat with one that includes a cutout so I can continue to use the stick in complete comfort.

Looking spectacular, just a little high

After a small amount of time working through assignments in DCS, I was airborne off the carrier and headed for the action. Whilst enroute to my imminent virtual death I spent the climb getting used to the feel of the aircraft using this new stick. As mentioned earlier, preloaded are strong springs, Jet Cams, Dampers and XL Ring which allows for 43 degrees of motion. It was the springs and amount of motion available in the stick that I felt I needed to change right away.

As someone who likes quite heavy, precise flight controls, I found going a step up to the Extra-Strong springs and a change of movement rings to the medium size (reducing the sticks movement to 36 degrees) best suited my flying style. Having all this customization out of the box and included as part of the prices was really nice. It was great to not have to purchase additional springs/cams to enable you to customize the product to your liking.

Perfect, compatibility with mounting products for products like the Warthog or WINWING line of mounts.

Like the Thrustmaster Warthog, the buttons on the AVA FA-18 have a high-quality feel. There’s minimal lateral movement, and all the switches are firm and precise, performing exactly as intended. The extra 3 position roller switch feels nice and has a nice depress and up/down feel. While the Sensor Control Switch and Weapon Select Switch have a centre button, the pitch and roll trim switch does not.

Moving onto the stick feel and movement, this stick continues the tradition of the older Thrustmaster Warthog sticks with clean precise movement throughout the whole movement. After repeated abuse and going to max deflection over multiple weeks of heavy usage, the stick continues to move as freely and quietly as it did the first time I used it.

Available are two different cams with the Jet cams installed out of the box giving a small centre detent feel with harder movement in the middle and a non-linear feel towards max deflection. The Aero cam gives soft movement in the centre and a more linear feel to max deflection.

Perusing the manual reveals information on what configuration of cam and spring could suit a particular flying application. I worked my way through the recommendations but found that while the guide provides a good starting position for those new to the hobby, I still felt like these didn’t really work for me once the stick found its final resting place mounted in my motion cockpit.

Manual offers a great place to start and find a setup that works for you

Once secured into the fantastic TrakRacer TR160 being rocked by Sigma Integrale’s DK2+ I found that the softer springs with Aero Cam resulted in a lot of unintended input once you started to hit a few bumps through either turbulence or cannon fire. As mentioned, the stick is quite heavy and once mounted on the offset adaptor places quite a lot of weight high up on the stick so it was prone to moving around quite a bit.

Stepping down to the medium and soft springs along with AERO cam for helicopter flight resulted in almost no pressure needed to move the stick through the first 8-10 degrees making it easy to over correct.  It just felt strange, like my years of developing bad habits with overly stiff springs and dampers on my sticks had finally caught up with me. But if you’re not as far gone as I am, this could easily work for you. It’s not a flaw in the product—more like an intervention for those of us who’ve been corrupted by the tough-love approach to flight sticks.

The product comes with 4 sets of springs included. They start at soft, medium, hard (installed by default) and a final set being extra hard, interestingly the manual doesn’t make reference to the extra hard springs that I prefer, perhaps I’m just special? Or a fringe case.

Springs can be swapped in a matter of minutes

Considering the attention to detail and the well-designed mechanics of the base, accessing the cams is straightforward and just requires one additional step beyond changing the springs. By releasing the springs so the arm and roller move away from the cam, you can easily use a hex key to remove a hex bolt and spring washer, allowing for quick cam removal. Note that there is a small spring washer that’s easily missed and can fall free if care isn’t taken. I did notice a bit of difficulty when removing the cam for the first time after taking out the hex bolt. It’s well-machined with tight tolerances, so it might take a little extra force the first few times you remove it.

Loosen the tension on the springs, freeing the roll and pitch axis to make it easy to switch the cams

Dampening my excitement down on the dampers here, but with so much to like about this product, I was disappointed when it came time to looking at the dampers. I make multiple mentions of the stick’s weight throughout this review and in my book the weight and build quality is a good thing. However, I don’t believe the stock dampers are up to the task of managing the stick’s weight. The role of a damper is to provide resistance to the stick’s movement, smoothing out the motion to create a more realistic and controlled feel. Providing weight to the movement and reducing the stick freely moving.

While there is some resistance added, there isn’t anywhere near as much as I would like. I find it quite difficult to notice them installed vs out. It becomes more noticeable with simply pulling the stick and releasing it, here you notice a slight reduction in oscillation back and forth. I think this part of the product is the only real stain on almost a perfect design. I’d like to see a similar approach taken as to the variety of springs included. Include a soft, medium, hard and crazy-stupid hard damper for people like me.

The process of removing the dampers keeps with the theme right throughout this product and is fairly simply to accomplish. The damper for the roll axis are located on the front of the device and is simply removed by 2 small Phillips head bolts located on each side of the damper. The pitch damper is slightly more involved requiring the removal of a cover to reveal it. Noting that no tool is included with the product to complete this task, hope you have a smaller Phillips head screwdriver handy?

Easy to remove...
...but not much too them!

I might be nitpicking here, but the manual feels inflated when talking about the dampers. Your options for “customization” here are simply either leaving them on or taking them off.

Very grandeur indeed!

Finally in terms of adjustments are the deflection rings that limit the amount of stick deflection. As mentioned previously I did end up stepping down from the XL (Extra-Large) ring to the medium ring as I felt it gave me more precise flight controls especially when air-to-air refueling. Despite requiring 8 hex bolts to remove the ring and removal of the stick, switching out the travel rings it is accomplished easily and without fuss. Once the ring and stick are off, you simply lift the previous ring off and drop in the new one. After some alignment, put the black/yellow ring back on and tighten everything down.

Easy as 1 2 3...
...4

Unlike previous adjustments with springs and cams, changing the travel ring requires recalibrating the base to ensure it detects the full range of motion (0-100%) given the amount of movement available to the stick has changed. This process is straightforward and can be done by following the picture guide in the included Operation’s Guide, or for more detailed instructions (like I needed), you can refer to the manual available on the manufacturer’s website that steps you through it easily.

Let's get calibrated!

I found the process simple and essentially involves pressing the calibrate button and following a simple sequence of steps. It’s a quick procedure designed to ensure the system accurately registers the full movement range after the adjustment.

Conclusion

The Thrustmaster AVA FA-18 Hornet Flightstick impressed me with its meticulous design and high-quality construction that truly embodies a 1:1 replica of the iconic F18 stick. Appreciative of the extra button and ease of customization with included springs, cams and stick deflection rings, offers an immersive simulation experience that will impress both new and seasoned flight enthusiasts.

While the stick does excel in many areas, there is room for improvement. I’d like to see all tools included that are required for customization and more options to adjust damping besides simply having them on or off the device. If you’re looking to upgrade your entry level stick or coming from a previous generation Thrustmaster product and want that purity of matching the stick to the FA-18, take a serious look at this.

Great overall package, 8.5/10


Pros

  • Very well constructed with use of premium materials, has a premium feel
  • Great unboxing experience
  • Various springs/cams and other accessories included to customize the feel
  • Well thought out and easy to adjust

Cons

  • Provide tools for all parts of the customization, RIP the Phillips head screwdriver.
  • Could the price be lower if so much effort didn’t go into the packaging?
  • Damping needs to be adjustable, not just an on-or-off setting. The current damping is too low for a stick of this weight. Could we perhaps have options like soft, medium, and hard, similar to the spring settings?
  • Unless you need extra height, I’ve got mixed feelings on the rotator adaptor. It works well but adds height, could it be simpler?

If you would like to support our work at Boosted Media at no additional cost to you, follow these affiliate links to purchase direct from Thrustmaster.
You can also save 5% while supporting boosted media with our Thrustmaster discount by using the Pagnian links below.

SHOP NOW USA
SHOP NOW EUROPE
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