This article, inspired largely by Howard Sullivan, describes how to convert a Futaba Conquest 4NBF or a 4NBL Attack transmitter into a PC-compatible flight controller with aileron, elevator, rudder, throttle and trim. The FSC will work with any flight simulator that uses a standard PC-compatible joystick and should setup correctly using the standard calibration in the game.
This is a nice conversion since many hobby suppliers sell the 4NBF case without a crystal, battery or antenna for use as a buddy box - and many R/C-ers already have old transmitters that can be used. Realize before deciding to make the conversion that this is a permanent modification. This conversion will probably work with other transmitters but it has not been proven and some experimentation may be required. Some transmitters, such as the Futaba FG series, use separate potentiometers for the stick axis and trim. In this case, the transmitter may be made to work but trim will not be available.
The computer on which the simulator is run must have a game port that has provisions for two sticks on one port connector. Some older cards have two separate jacks, one for each stick. Some of the multi-function cards and game ports on sound cards support only one stick - period. A recommendation is to use an adjustable game port such as the CH Products Game Port III as it will work more precisely and will allow setting the port for the speed of the computer.