So if you were to have at least three cameras (one front, one left and one right) with three downlinks and three decent sized monitors, do you think it would have been reasonably easier to fly than the single view out the front?

I don't really care to try it, but the though of figuring out how it could be done is interesting.

I have thought that setting up a simulated cockpit with a monitor on the right, left and in front would make it much easier.

As an asside, I worked for a construction company that built a simulator to teach ship captains how to pilot a tug boat so it could guide container ships into port. The simulator had a wraparound screen that encompased about a 210 degree field of view and was about 20' tall. You were inside a mock ship's helm and there were vibration generator under the floor to add realism. When they turned on rough seas, you walked away feeling seasick and like you were really swaying side to side when you were really just standing still on a stationary platform.