As a former flight sim developer, I can tell you that I wasn't above borrowing a good idea from somewhere else...however, it's often not as easy as that.
For example, the AH view system. For it to work you need a full 3D cockpit. This is non-trivial to do for a modern jet, assuming you want the player to be able to read the various displays from all angles. It is also a huge frame rate hog.
While I'm not 100% certain, I think Jane's F-15 was one of if not the first "box-sim" to use the AW/WB style snap view system.
Another thought - Sometimes you can't do certain things because of limitations in the game engine.
-Smut
Designer, Jane's F-15
Lead Designer, Jane's F/A-18
Target, Aces High