I found the TIR function in spot view annoying for the first few months myself, but I guess I just got used to it. Oddly, it only works for panning in that mode. On my rig, I can still use the hat switch for tilting. I'm not 100% sure this would work, but it just occurred to me that you might be able to use FSUIPC (payware version) to set up a button that both disabled TIR using a keypress and then switched to spot view. Of course, you'd have to set up another that switched back to VC and sent another keypress to re-enable the TIR. Since the same key is just a toggle in the TrackIR software, you'd have to be careful to start with the correct mode (enabled or disabled) or the button would get out of whack. Still, it's theoretically possible.
FSUIPC can't do anything with TrackIR. TrackIR 'sees'
keystrokes ( or buttons/switches ) before they get
to FSUIPC, thus you can't control TIR with FSUIPC.
In spot mode, just put TrackIR into 'pause mode'
( toggle the enable ) and then you can use the hat
switch 'normally'. This is also true in the VC.
Both tilt and pan work with the hat.
I have both the 'Enable' and the 'Center' commands
mapped to buttons on my X-45 setup and use them
both constantly as I move about the VC ( I have multiple
camera definitions set to switch with my #3 hat ).
It's now second nature to use those two functions
to manipulate/see switches and controls that are
hard to see from the normal eyepoint or difficult
to operate due to small click-spots.
I'm rarely out of the VC but occasionally will go to spot
view to double check the aircraft configuration. I just
toggle 'Enable', hit the 'S' key and then use the hat
to walk/fly around the aircraft. Flick my thumb too the
left on my #2 hat and I'm back in the left seat. Hit the
TIR 'enable' button and I'm back to 'normal', all in a
matter of seconds.
I highly recommend experimenting with CameraDefinitions
activated with "HotKeySelect=" statements for each
definition, and the HotKeys assigned to buttons, switches
of a Hat on your stick/throttle setup.
The combination of TrackIR and multiple positions/views
in the VC made possible by the CameraDefinitions make
flying so much easier. The two systems compliment one
another very well.
Paul