I used my X52 and Warthog for 2 years before I built my collective, muscle memory soon kicks in and you naturally push / pull for power instinctively for what you fly.
I built this, it was totally DIY and cost around £140 all in and I love it, works great and I've found my rotary flying has improved.
I'm at work so can't upload the pictures directly so here's a link to my reddit post:
Reddit