I remember doing it with my thrustmaster HOTAS stick/throttle combo way back in the day. If I recall correctly, I set up a hat switch or couple of buttons for lateral and back and forth motion,I think with my thumb. (I recall there being two thumb buttons or a thumb button and thumb hat on the thrustmaster throttle.) At any rate it was keyboard free and I had full directional control. Still, I agree Descent is very good with joystick plus keyboard. The main thing is just getting the joystick, not the throttle, for gameplay experience. But a throttle is VERY nice in all flight games. So even if someone doesn't want it for Descent, if you are ever going to play any other flight games, you'll still be glad you bought one.
At least, if it's part of the X-45 or X-52 package for a hundred bucks. Both the stick and throttle get such good reviews that, just me, I wouldn't regret the extra 40 to get a good stick with the upgrade potential of an excellent throttle.

I see your point. A joystick is much better for other flight games (Freespace, Commanche series, Crimson Skies) but for me and Descent, the joystick takes too long to switch directions. And yes, I am a good digital-analog converter :-D. But I do see your point.

If you play it best with the keyboard, then you should probably stick with it. Who knows-you might just end up fragging the joystick jockeys a lot in a heated Descent multiplayer match for all I know.
That's the thing I like about PC gaming-when it comes to controls, you have choices. Keyboard, mouse, cheap twisty-stick, full-blown HOTAS with rudder pedals, 6DoF controllers like the SpaceOrb, and perhaps a TrackIR on top of whatever you're using-you'll undoubtedly find a control method that you like.

Sorry for a slightly off topic post here, but I just loaded and am trying to play Descent or Descent 2 with my MS Sidewinder, Precision 2. Can't get the hat button to work to control Slides (left, right, up, down) or to bank the ship when I put the stick to left or right.
Any suggestions welcome.
blt.t90@comcast. net

Use your gog data with D2X-XL.

I've played D1-3 on a Flight Stick using the keybord where necessary, at the time it was the best way to play it IMHO. Once I bought it here @ GoG I tried using the dual analog of my 360 controller - what a difference! Setting the right stick as look and the left analog as thrust/reverse and strafe sets this game up the way it's meant to be played as far as I'm concerned.
You end up needing Xpadder to use the triggers as fire 1 and 2 (I setup start as ESC and Down on the Hat Switch for Incoming messages - Shift - F8). Attached is a screencap from my D3 layout.
Just my 2 cents.