Thank you for all your input this afternoon!
Here's some more thoughts/questions...
When I turn back into wind, will I need to reduce power and raise the nose?
The aircraft does not know what the wind speed is, so why would it's flying characteristics change? It surely has to be something to do with flying relative to a point close on the ground, unlike to a distant horizon that you use for basic training?
Is this also true of a fixed wing aircraft doing a recce of a point over ground?
What about a sailplane? He can't just increase power when turning downwind.. and I don't think they would descend faster just as they turn downwind and conversely climb into wind? If they did, again this would surely be an optical illusion.