DIY cockpit control panel

[LegTaste]

I've been planning on building some sort of control interface for flight sims for quite a while. I'm a bit lost regarding what controls to include, how many switches, how many trim wheels, layout etc....

I could probably put something functional together without too much trouble, but i want to do my best to get it right first time round, and seriously lacking experience as far as playing flight sims is concerned doesn't help too much.

My goal is to create something relatively compact that offers the controls one is likely to need to fly the variety of aircraft in IL2/SOW, and to document the process and provide the resources enabling even novices to take on such a project.

I intend to base unit on something from Leo Bodnar (like the BU0836) as they are pretty much plug and play, and inexpensive compared to other controllers, more advanced functions/macros could probably be enabled using some sort of joystick profile software which I'm sure a lot of people must be familiar with.

I think the best place to start would be listing the basic controls required for all aircraft (excluding joystick, rudder, and throttle), then to examine how some of these work differently for different aircraft (e.g. multiple position flaps instead of just up for down), and to finally look at the controls more specific to each aircraft that may need to be specifically included or just accounted for with extra buttons/switches.

If you've any thoughts please share the knowledge.