To me, the basic differences between fixed-wing and helo flying are that 1/airplanes are inherently stable while helicopters desperately want to diverge, and 2/flying airplanes is intuitive and helo flying isn’t. I can–and have–given quite ordinary nonpilots the controls of a light airplane after takeoff (an experienced instructor could talk them through the entire takeoff as well) and have had them “fly” to their heart’s content. Drive it up, drive it down, as the Cessna ads of the 1960s used to say.
Okay, these novices haven’t made instrument approaches to minimums or landed in a crosswind or dealt with an engine failure in a twin, but the basic act of “flying” a fixed-wing airplane is very simple, particularly once you teach somebody to trim the airplane.
Basic helicopters require 100-percent attention, and very few of the control inputs are intuitive. They require thought–okay, training and repetition–and a level of hand/eye coordination far beyond what is required to fly a Cessna. Which to me is what makes it so much fun.
I’ve never flown a turbine helicopter, so I can’t answer your question with any authority, but the torque in a helicopter is produced by the main rotor, not the engine. So I assume that torque-wise, there is no difference between a recip or turbine helicopter.
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