You are correct Sepia, there is definately a big difference between a piston engine Beaver / Otter and a PC12 not only in how they fly but the environment they fly in.
Having agreed with that would you not agree that a good pilot with 1000 hours could easily fly either type, piston or turbine?
After all none of them are really all that difficult to operate, hell there are heavy construction machines such as an excavator that require far more dexterity to operate properly than these basic flying machines.
So back to the 1000 hour thing, I think that is a lot of time to become a good pilot.