Tried to get into it but still too many buttons and key combinations for me to remember, I'll stick to my world war sims.
Joystick - pitch, roll, yaw,power
Trackir- look around
Joystick hat - move target designator cursor, (same hat switch with shift button) move radar beam up/down left/right.
Joystick buttons : lock on,change missile type, fire, fire cannon, turn on radar, chaff/flares.
That's all there is too it
Ace Combat has the same, but you do not have to turn on radar, move radar, move cursor. But Ace Combat also does not have the flight physics of Flaming Cliffs and the general vastness and scale.
Apache after being hit with my Mig-29's cannon (game- Flaming Cliffs 3)