Less inputs doesn't mean less difficulty. Who works harder, a roofer or an accountant (that outa start some howling).

Perhaps someday all aerial warfare will be managed through robotics, or by sitting behind a monitor with a joystick and keyboard in hand (then will have technology made combat flying easier, or more difficult)?

The point is, as you and others have made, no one ever wants their sims "dumbed-down", but made manageble within the limitations of their game-playing systems.

What you, or I, or others think is "manageable" will always vary anyway.