yeah the size matters
though you can compensate the shortcomings of average joystick sizes with sensitivity curves, it also means, that you will have a unnatural responsiveness-change, which is not the case in RL aircrafts i think...
meaning that with sensitivity curves applied, you will have less ouput with the same amount of stick travel near the center as you will at the edge of the axis....
thats why i always go for 0 sensitivity= no curve in CLOD.