The Wise Sloth

So I just recently re-installed FSX on my new computer that has Windows 8.1 64-bit. I used to play FSX all the time on my old computer that had Windows 7, but I just recently got back into it. I have a Saitek Pro Flight Yoke and rudder pedals, as well as a CH throttle quadrant. All of which are a few years old, but still work for the most part, except for one major issue that really bugs me. So I was flying today from KIAH in Houston up to CYYZ in Toronto, and I tab out my game a lot once I'm cruising so I can browse websites, listen to music etc. However, sometimes when I come back into the game, FSX seems to completely forget all of my controllers, so the only things that show up in the controls menu are 'Mouse Yoke' and 'Mouse Look'. Usually, I can fix this by unplugging the USBs and plugging them back in, but in this particular situation, right before I hit my top of descent, the game decided to forget all of my controls indefinitely. So there I was, needing to begin my descent into Toronto, with no controls working. I tried unplugging and plugging them all back in, in different ports too, but to no avail. When I landed, I couldn't even get off the runway, I just had to quit right there because my controls were still unresponsive. This wasn't the only time this happened - I have not been able to start some flights because while I am on the ground, the game forgets my controllers exist and the only way to fix it is to restart the game, and unplug and re-plug. I have no idea what might be causing this, so some help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!