Joystick is a must-have for flying.
It's like night and day once you get seasoned with it, not that I am yet but it sure is more enjoyable to control the throttle/speed.
This is what frag and myself are using...
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/pr...CONTENTID=6954
I'm sure there are better ones out there but it's a good one for the price.