Flying Helicopters

I have studied everything available on flying helicopters but seem unable to master them. A friend who is a professional helicopter pilot tells me that he believes there is something in FS2004 which makes it abnormally difficult to control any helicopter. I have a suspicion that other flightsimmers manage to cope and I wonder what is the secret.

Fixed wing aircraft of almost any time give me no problems - for example I have just put an MD50 onto the runway at Carlisle without any difficulty.

I wonder what I am missing.