That has got to be the most backwards thing I've heard (and I'm saying this in a perfectly non-confrontational way). Helicopters have got to be above and beyond the most difficult of all radio controlled vehicles to learn how to fly. Granted, I'm not entirely sure how much easier it'd be to learn how to fly them with an instructor, as there's an even smaller margin for error, but still...

I personally would take instructor input for learning how to fly a helicopter over an airplane any day of the week.