I learned how to fly using the Hiroba Shuttle RC Helicopter. Of all the RC models, cars, planes and boats the helicopter is one of the most challenging to learn. A true hobbyist will fly a model that has dynamic pitch and all the functions of a real helicopter. Below are some tips the beginner.
One of the first things I did was go to the hardware store and purchase some dial rods. I used these to make training gear that I attached to the landing struts to help stabilize the craft as I learned. What I did was crossed the dial rods like a large X then used rubber bands to hold them in place in the middle of the X and on the struts. At the end of each dial rod I place a plastic baseball with an oversized hole drilled through the ball, so it could rotate will little resistance. I kept each ball in place by drilling small holes in the dial rod on each side of the ball to insert cotter pins.
When I first started to learn how to fly, I only hovered the craft a few inches from the ground. ALWAYS stand directly behind (at a safe distance) the craft when first learning to fly. Standing directly behind the craft will help you with the control orientation. Don't let the craft become nose in, meaning if the nose of the craft is point directly at you, the controls are all reversed and this can be confusing and dangerous for a beginner. The rotor blades are rotating fast enough to be fatal.
Be careful when first learning as an RC Helicopter demands almost constant input from the flyer, no time to relax or take you hands off the radio. Also many beginners don't realize that surface condition effect hovering through ground effects. Essentially this means that while hover close to the ground, the force of the air being pushed down by the main rotor is bounced of the ground and back up into the blades. This can make it more difficult to hold the craft steady in a hover. Try to avoid hard landing as this can cause a tail boon strike in which the main rotor hit the tail of the craft.
The best tip of all. Before you even make a purchase, find a group or individual with years of experience to help guide you and help test your new model. That's what I did and the experience was fun and probably a lot less costly. I've put mine in the ground twice in four years and each time it cost money to repair. At the very least you will need main blades and a main rotor shaft if you crash. Good luck and have fun.