From someone who doesn't know...
It's been interesting, reading the thread. I don't think I could learn to fly a helicopter now, but I understand the broad theory. I know fixed wing pilots have trouble switching to gyrocopters. After climbing to avoid an obstacle they naturally push the stick forward to gain airspeed. That unloads the rotor and it's off for a quick post mortem.
Therefore, speaking with all the authority of an old coward, it seems two things about helicopters are important: if the engine fails you don't have any time to think, so you'd better have a repertoire of reflexes.
If you're hovering to do a job, you're probably waiting for something to go wrong. If you're cruising along thinking about beer, you twitch the stick back and buy a bit of time to think.
Note. There are many factory-built gyrocopters available now. Some are enclosed side-by-side. Germany and Italy make superb machines.