The Coyote,
I thought about it before posting originally, but I don't remember doing any downwind operations during my PPL(H) training. It was done at a large airfield with marked helistrips, so some was done with a slight crosswind but that was it. That's propbably why it took me by surprise, as a new boy, on those initial post-PPL cross-countries when I was given out of wind approaches. I take your point about practice and I will book some time with an instructor to have a proper play. Thanks for the post.