Hi Stephen,
I don't know if this might help but try to calibrate your joy-stick through RB. Start the game, go to properties, then to grafic setting and choose window-modus settings ( sorry don't know the exact therms - I have the german version

). Then go and fly a "fly-now"-mission. After a right-click with your mouse you should be able to calibrate your joy-stick... After this is done switch back to glide or direct draw.
Perhaps this will work :-/
Immo