Ok lets start with if it possible to make a throlle quadrant...Yes,..in a 2d panels,also with a sofware name "CFGedit is developt to fs2000 ,Frreeware and is still very usefull among designers, BUT no in VC already done planes,you Can Not add or less or modify anything in MDLs already compiled by other designers in a develop sofwares like FSDS Gmax or 3d Max....


2 About the VC tutorial trust me I couldn't find specific one,see another plane like the default ones you can move to the outside by pressing shif+ctrl+backspace
is just a matter of imitate the most real possible the model that your're doing

3 I have a pentium 3-800mhz a 128 ge force 4x 320ram
take the clouds out, I mean go to display,get into the clouds sector(I think is wheather tab I can't remember now) and sett it in a simple mode,no 3d the slowly if it runs better set in 3d back but a very high resolution and measure step by sep when your graphiocs begin to make frame rates too visible,I set mine in 1024x768 16 bit in the display/hardware setting,and simple clouds......

  hope this helps.....

Thanks ALROT that info will come in handy.