Welcome to the forums @gdistort!
A great set!
For starters, our smooth criminal had a great plan with the T.16000M (either stick or HOTAS). The stick feels much better around the center than most in its price range, and has hall sensors on the primary axes. The throttle has a lot of buttons in the right places. Perfect for fighter jets and helicopters alike.
Of course, the Virpil and VKB stuff is better, but it is also a lot more expensive. Best start with a T.16000 and see if the hobby sticks. It won’t limit you in your flying for years. Took me, I think, 6 years of flying helicopters constantly before I upgraded. I do not regret that time. It takes a bit of learning before a more precise stick will make you fly better, IMO.
If you find yourself wanting to add launch options to DCS.exe (you probably won’t because you’re not going for VR), or installing / uninstalling modules a lot, or wanting to save different graphics options statea and switch between them, then @SkateZilla 's DCS Launcher Utility is a godsend. If you don’t need those things, it may or may not be worth it to use it.
Finally, the choice of aircraft… Read some reviews (especially on X-Plane side) but then follow your heart.
Later you will find out what kind of role/gameplay you prefer, but to get started, choose an aircraft you are passionate about and everything will be 10x easier to learn.