Mary M
Your quote below shows you have never flown a helicopter
that flying a helicopter is completely and absolutely different from fixed wing. And that a pilot faced with a big problem will tend to revert to original training....eg diving at the ground in a spin, pull back on the stick to raise the nose.....
A helicopter is controlled just like an aeroplane - attitude controls speed, power controls height and lateral movement of the stick controls direction. The only difference is the landing phase! You also can't spin a helicopter so there is no need to "dive towards the ground" and pulling back on the stick does raise the nose!!
The controls are slightly different in that the collective controls the power as most turbine helicopters nowadays have computer to feed in power as the collective is raised.
I have flown both rotary and fixed wing on the same day and have never got so confused as to try to hover an aeroplane (OK once in a Harrier) or land a helicopter at 50+Kts
HF