I understand both views being expressed here, and I can't really offer anything new. All I can say is that with work, family, and other obligations sapping my time I get a few precious minutes each night to play the game. I don't want to use that time getting to the target and the related minutae. I want to jump in and fight right from the get-go. I wish I had the time to start from take-off, plan the route, manage the engine, etc. but my leisure time is very limited and I've set my priorities in terms of what I enjoy with the game.
As I said, I wish I had the time to "switch fiddle", but I don't, and when push comes to shove, the enjoyment of the engagement wins out over the enjoyment of the switch-fiddling.
Any future game I purchase will have to offer that "quick to the action" option for me to be interested since that's where my enjoyment lies.