Your opinions please!

Hello to all.

Total newb here... But please read a bit further anyhow... I have browsed these forums to gain a basic knowledge, and I am not soliciting answers to simple questions I could find by looking...

As I am starting at the ground level, I find myself contemplating different Design Concepts for a flight control system for my Sims, and do not wish for my design to be limited by my own vision and preferences. I would love to have the benefit of the experience, hindsight, and diverse opinions of the community to help me along my way.

My desired Design Elements so far:

7+ linear axis' for pitch, roll, yaw, throttle (perhaps dual), mixture, prop, and elevator trim, and as many buttons as practical and feasible.

Parts available:

1 Siatek X45 with spikey pots and a dead button or two.

2 Logitech Driving Force ff wheels with pedals.

A few misc modest usb joysticks and gamepads.

I scored at the local RadioShack and got a pile of Arduino goodies cheap:

2 esplora boards.
1 getting started with Arduino kit (with 1 Uno)
1 ARDX The starter kit for Arduino.
1 Sidekick basic kit.
1 Motor pack.
( translation; an Uno, 2 esploras, several breadboards, a couple of steppers and servos, and a metric buttload of resistors, leds, jumpers, ect.)


Questions:

Sitting here at my workbench, how would you procede? What additional Design Elements would you consider as requisite? How would you mitigate the fact that the girlfriend will never understand?

Does anyone know if the Uno and exploras will play well together?

I welcome any and all input please?!


A few perhaps relevant bits about me, if you are interested...

I started playing with computers back in the seventies, on a Timex Sinclair.

Moved on to the c64, flight Simming, and flying real airplanes.

I constructed my first 4 axis/2 button flight control system in the 80s from two simple one button joysticks ,a wooden coat hanger, 2 closet door rollers, a bungie cord, some scrap lumber, and a length of tubing.

I built a two axis motion platform flight controller in the 90s using 2" sch40 pvc, 4 trailer wheel bearings, pots from a two axis/ 4 button joystick with 8 way hat, and a length of .galvanized pipe. The pipe was static mounted to the bottom center of my combobulation , and you pulled your body mass around the stick, up to 40 degrees on both axis(dependant upon pilot strength), which provided very good feedback. The monitor was mounted on the platform to move with the pilot.

Love to tinker...

Thanks for reading! I look forward to any and all that may be offered in response