Another subject that needs touching on briefly for all you beginners is rotation. RC helicopters are usually divided into two different types with regard to their rotors. There are either single rotor models or twin rotor models (otherwise known as coaxial).
For beginners the best option is to go for the coaxial version. They are easy to gets to grips with and can be quite addictive. The reason these models are easier to control is because they have no tail rudder (or rotor). This means you only need 3 channels so there is less control to worry about. The twin rotors work together controlling the torque. This is great stuff, having 6 channels to control if you are a beginner is RC helicopter suicide.
What are the three channels I need to control?
Having three channels means you need to look after three things. These are up or down movement, left and right movement, and forwards or backwards movement. With no tail rudder to worry about you can just have great fun and relax (until you upgrade to the 6 channel version).