CH Fighterstick, because it's just very good, and it will last for a very long time (which can't be said about a lot of other sticks out there).

A throttle is also nice to have. Especially a separate dedicated one like the CH Pro Throttle.

It'll cost you some money, so if you're not going to be using it a lot, you might go for some cheaper alternatives (that may break down earlier).

Based on your recommendations (and my wife being super swell) I've just had an X52 Pro ordered for me for Valentine's Day.. I gotta find some sweet flowers to counter this! My Extreme 3D is spiking like crazy in A-10, I get:
"You want some elevator deflection? How about ALL the deflection??! Muahahahaha!!1" whenever I touch it.. I was starting to think the AOA alarm was just the background noise, like the engines since it was on so dang much. Hoping for a Track IR 5 for my birthday in July. Hopefully by then I'll be competent in this jet. Right now it's very frustrating to fly so it makes it tough to be amped up about learning. Been running through the ramp startups a bit tho, I can taxi like nobody's business

That's gonna be a big bunch of flowers then just wait till the 15th to try it out though! lol

There is a mission to download on the DCS site where it tests your startup and taxi prowess by following the trainer around the taxiway which is quite good.

Due to a right shoulder that doesn't work well, I can't use a right handed stick. Any suggestions for a stick/HOTAS for a left handed user? I currently have a Saitek Cyborg Evo which I have configured left handed.

Thanks for any suggestions, Jim

You may struggle, especially with the throttles as they are designed and shaped for left hand use. With the Warthog throttle you have 4 controls used a lot on the ride side which would be difficult with your right hand. Also the Warthog stick has the countermeasures control on its left side which would get in the way of your left hand.

The X52 has a large bump in the handle so that would be uncomfortable but the version before that, the X45, has a smooth stick which I guess could be used in your left hand but still the throttle is designed for the left hand!

I'm not sure what's before rookie, but I'm that since my x52 Pro hasn't arrived yet. I'm on the fence about either designing my own profile or trying out someone else's, since they're typically designed with TrackIRs in mind. Since I don't have a TrackIR yet I need to still use views on the HOTAS along with the usual trim, slews etc. I'm thinking that I can get more mileage out of my hat switches by reassigning the Clutch button as a Right Ctrl and using a hatswitch for ,./; for slew and have it be trim when combined with the Clutch button. Does this make sense? Is it a poor use of controls? Just trying to have a game plan when this thing arrives. 10-20 business days shipping, ugh!

Even if you get someone else's profile, tomcat, it's not likely it'll work just right for you out of the box. Every one seems to have their own preferred control scheme and what works for me may not work for you. I'll PM you my layout and you're welcome to try it out or hack it to your heart's content.

Yup, sounds great, thanks again. I also found one on ED's forums by Jack Bauer. Both yours and his are probably great, and should be a good start.

FYI, to see the signals coming from your axis controls in the sim, use Right-Control-Enter and a red box will pop up on the lower left of the cockpit. I use this view on takeoff to ensure that my toe brakes are all the way off, because if they are not then the jet will track left or right and makes it dicey for formation rotation.

WC

That's not some 'make everyone eject' trick is it WC?