Before I go through and change all the aircraft control assignments in MSFS2024, is there any user experience regarding which is the better way to go?  Should I use AAO or the MSFS2024 control assignments route?  MSFS2024 assignments are SO slow.

Yes, much better. The UI is not the best, but it has all needed functionalities and much more. It is possible to easily create profiles per aircraft and backup them without the risk of loosing everything in a sim update. I also enjoy adjusting my controls directly in the aircraft and not in the main menu of the simulator. 

FSUIPC also works well.

3 hours ago, gypsyczar said:

Before I go through and change all the aircraft control assignments in MSFS2024, is there any user experience regarding which is the better way to go?  Should I use AAO or the MSFS2024 control assignments route?  MSFS2024 assignments are SO slow.

The most important thing to understand about this is that they are not the same. AAO has nothing whatsoever to do with the in-sim controller assignments. What AAO can (is allowed to) do over SimConnect is not the same as the in-sim controller assignments do. Some assest have similar names, but they are not related, those are two completely different logics.

Also, there are always multiple options to do the same thing. The MSFS sims in particular prefer axis events over variables. When assigning primary flight controls, on the axis dialog, try the second box from the top first ("Select Event"). The most common axis events are right in the first group of the selection tree.

I would also recommend to work with templates. It is more convenient to collect certain control groups (like for example Yoke, Rudder, TQ), that are the same for all aircraft, into smaller templates and then link those to each new aircraft (instead of creating a duplicate of a master config every time).

How well your assignments work depends on how the aircraft developer implemented them, and if it is possible to control them from the outside without too much effort. But for some items you may have to take detours (like the condition lever which in most aircraft relies on InputEvents  / IEs)

Can't say if it is better - it is different. More options for assigning things to levers, no issues with a sim update deleting your assignments, automatic matching to aircraft, high sensitivity mode, software detents, control layers (same physical asset can control different things on different layers). On the other hand, less features regarding sensitivity, response and whatever else curvy things there are in MSFS.

Edited June 5, 20251 yr by Lorby_SI

Thank you all for the advice.  I'll give AAO a shot and see what happens.  Thanks for the advice about using small templates.  That makes great sense.