Hi Chock's
A Helicopter is at its most unstable when it is in a Hover in ground effect(close to the ground) as soon as you transition into forward flight things become much more dignified!
The reason they are more unstable in the IGE hover is that the helicopters downwash is creating a cushion that the helicopter sits on, so hte heli uses less power in the hover, the problem is the cushion is like a dome so the helicopter is continually trying to fall off the cushion, hence the reason people find it more difficult to hover when they are learning in no wind conditions, if there is a breeze the heli is far more stable as it is not now sitting ontop of the dome but upwind of it.So effectively it has fallen off already!!!
Why this boring explanation, well in a no wind hover ,air from the cushion will move out from the helicopter in 360 degrees, and then will very quickly dissipate, especially in th case of light training helis, the heavier the helicopter the more forcefull the downwash. But if there is a wind the downwash from the helicopter will be far more concentrated, and will be pushed downwind from the helicopter, hence a heli pilot should give more care as to what is DOWNWIND of them, not upwind.
Why not try a flight sometime, having myself flown fixed wing for 10 years before going rotary wing , Im sure youll enjoy the experience, even if it is only a trial lesson.
VFR, I think the airfield needs to be licensed to perform training , so as long as it is licensed air/ground is OK
Regards
Hover Bover