Found this amazing Cessna throttle block on thingiverse:https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4082809

Downloaded the UniJoy repository:
https://github.com/AlanChatham/UnoJoy

Compiled and flashed UnoYouArduinoSample from the repository:
https://github.com/AlanChatham/UnoJoy/tree/master/UnoJoy/UnoJoyArduinoSample

Scrolled through the guide to install Atmel Flip to install new firmware on the Mega16U2 USB controller:
http://wei48221.blogspot.com/2016/06/how-to-turn-arduino-uno-into-hid_26.html

Installed firmware from the UnoJoy repository from here:
https://github.com/AlanChatham/UnoJoy/tree/master/UnoJoy/ATmega8u2Code/HexFiles

Unplugged and replugged and the system came up with a native UnoJoy joystick showing up in the system with 14 working buttons, two axis, and a HAT. Amazing!

I wish the system had more axis but this is already quite amazing. Enough to put a simple joystick or flight sim controller together with a few flying wires.

It seems like there is a way to expand this firmware to have more axis and buttons:
https://code.google.com/archive/p/unojoy/wikis/ExtendingUnoJoy.wiki
according to:
https://forum.arduino.cc/t/unojoy-with-more-axes-than-default/209635

This one is also interesting:
https://github.com/AlanChatham/UnoJoy/issues/25