[abrax3141]

I fly gliders and helis (for which, btw, x-plane is excellent), and none of the sticks I’ve tried feel right for these, neither of which have center return springiness. I’ve tried to clip the springs off of various sticks but just ended up breaking them. Any advice for a stick that doesn’t have center return dynamics?

[falcolas]

You'll be looking for one with force feedback, so it will use motors instead of springs to "return".

There are also some which use force sensors and the yoke itself doesn't really move at all. Much more of a fighter jet style stick.

Unfortunately, I'm years out of date on what controllers are available with which mechanisms; sorry.

[mwambua]

The selection of available force feedback joysticks hasn't changed much over the years. (A company hoarded the patents)

The patents expired in 2019, so it's possible that newer models will start coming to market at some point... but for the moment your best bet would probably be a second-hand Microsoft Sidewinder joystick off of eBay.