I flew in FSX for 6 months, and with some very good advise from the Hovercontrol forums, (like setting your controls up very touchy; I move my stick maybe 2-3 cents for almost all flight time) I was able to come up with a good idea of how a helicopter flies, of course vortex ring and retreating blade stall were things I could not really test; or rotor clipping!!
Doing this, I had a lot easier time with the Black shark than I would have otherwise, so dont discount FS because it is not as realistic...think of it as using training wheels...
I also read the FAA Rotorcraft Manual, and found a copy of ChickenHawk, by Robert Mason, a true story of a Huey driver in Vietnam; he describes a lot of technical stuff that you might not encounter elsewhere.