I am sorry but I still dont buy it.
With regard to asking a model aircraft pilot, their frame of reference is from the ground...which the aircraft does not care about. Now if the guy on the ground tries to maneuver with reference to the ground, then there will be issues.
I agree that if the helicopter pilot was maneuvering by ground track, he could get sucked into this. But if he flies by the ASI, the ship will still fly the same. (although ground track may look slightly different due to wind drift)
Again....I still hold that climbing or descending through gradients CAN have an effect on energy where it matters (airspeed). It is a technique that many sea birds use to stay aloft for hours at a time without flapping. This is why you observe the birds diving and climbing steeply. They are extracting energy from the gradient.
Here is a link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_soaring
http://www.wfu.edu/biology/albatross...ic_soaring.htm
Just to illustrate my point another way..... Imagine if during the wingover, the earths rate of rotation suddenly sped up twice as fast underneath it. The ground would accelerate and the pilot would suddenly see the ground passing under him at about 1000mph (near the equator). Ignoring friction between the air and the earth (meaning the air would not begin to rotate), ....would the helicopter suddenly have more "energy" to fly? Of course not....the helicopter only cares about the surrounding air it is flying in......the earth is of no consequence.......unless you hit it.