I also used a flight stick with Descent and Descent 2. I configured the hat switch for strafe up / down and strafe left / right.

Later, I also bought a [Logitech Cyberman 2](https://wiki.preterhuman.net/Logitech_CyberMan_2) 6-DoF controller for playing Descent, but it wasn't as satisfying as I had hoped. Part of the issue was moving / turning along multiple axes which limited the range of input from the controller to the game. So if you only pushed forward, you got 100%, but pushing forward and sideways, you only got ~70% of each (trigonometry). But with a keyboard or buttons, you could get 100% of each.

I also ended up mapping forward / back to buttons because it was less annoying to hold down a button constantly for movement.

It's strange how strangers you meet on the internet had the same experiences 30 years ago.