Go here and start reading! This is the best explananation that I have seen in a long time. It was written by a newbie while he was doing his research to get into helicopters. About a year later, he revised the publication and made it even better.
[link]http://www.knowledgelabs.com/RadioControl/Helicopter/Primer/[/link]


Also select reading from here:
[link]http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=basic+helicopter+controls& start=0&sa=N[/link]

And also from here:
[link]http://gettingstartedinrc.com/ME2/Sites/Default.asp?SiteID=E9251C99939B4D368E2F2B48684FE10 2[/link]

That is just to get you started.

Rafael