I have the same stick as Furball, but it's about 3 years old and the base buttons are failing and front-right on my hat has been defective for a long time. There is also a ridiculous amount of center slop in both axes. I've dissassembled the stick once to add some paper strips in the gimball mechanism to try and tighten it but there is just too much. The stick is being replaced by a Fighterstick and Pro Throttle & Pedals when they get delivered.
As for beginner aircraft... I'm a bit of an exception... from my very first AH tour I began weening myself on the P-38. I don't really recommend it though. I spent a few weeks getting consistently blasted out of the sky before I learned how to survive longer, and then it took another couple of tours before I really started learning the finer points of ACM.
My suggestions for beginner aircraft are the Spit IX, then 109F, and F6F a little later when learning flap usage. Finally, only after all of these, one might try the 190A-5, if only to iron out lingering ham-fisted tendencies, because the 190A's have punishing wingstalls.
The important thing for beginner planes is that they be capable of all types of ACM, and have gentle stalling characteristics. All three of these planes are good turners and don't stall or snap-roll easily, but also have good enough high speed handling and dive performance to BnZ with. They also don't have super-deadly quad hispano armaments, which means that you'll be forced to practice gunnery a little to start getting kills, especially with the 109F.
IMHO, super-turners like the Spit V, Hurri II or Zero, are bad planes to learn on, because all they teach is that in any situation, a good option for you is to just yank the stick back and go into a tight lufberry. You won't be prepared to fly faster, heavier aircraft after spending all your time in these. On the other hand, planes like the P-51D, 190D9, and 190G10 will be pure BnZ planes in the hands of new players, and without any TnB experience they won't learn the more advanced ACM required to get into the thick of things with these planes.
