1. Nearly all aircraft are freeware add-on aircraft. No payware at all. I frequently tinker with aircraft.cfg and panels.
2-3. No VA or vatism at all. I use real time weather from fsrealwx lite.
4. Navigation by VOR, unless GPS is built in to the panel (which is only a small number of aircraft. No FMC at all. If I use an autopilot, it is 'manual' heading control, never in NAV or APC mode.
5. Always with ATC, and if it is an airliner from an era where IFR clearances were used (like, not the 30's) then IFR.
6. GA, Airlines, bizjets, military...whatever I feel like. Today the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley KHYI to KILE. I switch between stick and yoke about every 2-5 months, and normally fly the aircraft that had the device in use. Total time for each flight is seldom more than an hour, so, for a jet, about 200 nm max.