Sas/Lone,
Yes, the descriptions of basic tiltrotor handling described above are correct as some on this thread can explain far better than I could.
I was fortunate enough many years ago (late 90s) to have been invited to a couple of tiltrotor trial studies in the VMS (vertical motion simulator) at NASA Ames (capable of pulling positive and negative Gs). Before my first ride an Army Major who flew Blackhawks flew the sim that was configured as an XV-15. In the control room there was a computer display that showed what the a/c would look like from the outside as it maneuvered. The display showed what I thought was a smooth acceleration and take off. The room burst into laughter with the comment being made, "typical helicopter pilot!" I sat quietly for a while, then whispered to the NASA gentleman who invited me who was very experienced in the XV-15, "what did he do wrong?!"
He explained that a helicopter pilot uses forward cyclic to lower the nose during a normal acceleration for takeoff as the Major did, whereas a tiltrotor pilot rotates the nacelles forward and holds the fuselage level with the cyclic as SOP.
Pilots who had the experience have said that they did not have difficulties moving back and forth between helicopters and tiltrotors, but of course during periods requiring immediate reaction, the 'monkey skills' from previous experience can come back in the form of negative transfer.
Having said that, a helicopter pilot transitioning to a tiltrotor will still be a better option (IMO) than a fixed wing pilot who will not have the same amount of positive transfer gained from the similarities between helicopters and tiltrotors when they are operated in the helicopter mode.