I was playing with a remote control video camera belonging to a friend the other day.
To pan left you push the stick to the left, Right for right, forward to pan UP, and Back to pan DOWN. I started with the control pod on my lap but I just could not get used to the up and down sense. It was a bit easier if I put the pod up against the face of the desk in front of me but I thought it would be much, much easier if it worked in the sense of a control column, forward to pan down etc.
Looked at in that way either the elevators or the rudder are indeed connected in reverse, it's just that is the way we are conditioned.
Interestingly the owner is a long time pro pilot but he could not even understand the point I was trying to make, that if we reversed the vert. control connection it would work the same as his plane!
I had no trouble at all chaging from a tiller to a wheel. When I steer with a tiller I sit side on to the forward motion. When I use a wheel I face the direction of motion. Like my pilot friend, for that at least, I have a separation of skills.