RE: High end first?
GeraldRosebery, after flying planes for 16 years I got into helis and found that forward flight is nearly the same as planes as far elevator and ailerons go. You just have to work the left stick a bit more. The heli will require a bit of tail rotor input in the turns and the throttle and pitch will need to be adjusted throughout the flight. I was very comfortable in forward flight on flight #5 with my Raptor 50 I started loops and rolls. I attribute this to about 2 years on the sim, Real Flight G2, and many years of flying aerobatic planes.
Unlike many others I would recommend against a small electric heli, they are just not that stable compared to a larger heli like the Joker or glow powered helis. That doesn't suggest $3k is a good place to start though. The micro electrics are cheaper to repair, but the T-Rex I have been looking at is basically the same cost as a Raptor 30 once it's all setup. After 38 flights with my Raptor 50 I have had 1 boom strike and that was after I was on the ground following an auto rotation. No crashes ths far really.
I don't know if you fly 3D with planes, but IMO 3D with planes is much harder than any flight I have done with my heli. That includes inverted, backwards and sideways I have not gotten into much 3D with the heli yet though and what I have tried with respect to 3D'ing my heli is pretty sad looking. Also if you do fly 3D you are already accustomed to using the left stick a lot which will make learning to fly helis that much easier.