You won't be able to play all that well with keyboard commands. The game is a good flight simulator, and, as you've noticed, has many controls. Years ago, I used to do the online multi-player at the Microsoft gaming zone for X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter.
By the way, I was one of the few people who flew the X-Wing mostly; they are better than the zippy A-Wings and (popular) TIEs if you fly them properly.
I've played X-Wing and TIE Fighter a couple of times, but X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter (& the Balance of Power upgrade) is the only PC game I've ever gotten into for a time.
