The flying persona
I once lifted an R44 up with the cyclic friction still on. Fortunately I was by myself so there was no one else to share the experience which I'd rate as one of the 3 scariest things I've done as a PIC.
My self critique, after I got past the "you bloody idiot" phase, was that I'd finished flying for the day & had been asked to shift the machine 50m just as I was leaving. Regretably I'd removed my 'flying persona' along with the luggage, wife & kids & forgot to put it back on when I climbed in for a task that seemed trivial.
Inexcusable I know but there it is. The grim fact is that nothin' to do with choppers, including wheeling them out of the hangar, is trivial & these days I try to stay permanently 'switched on' when I'm around 'em. The dam things are like junkyard dogs, always waiting for that fleeting moment of inattention on your part to jump up bite you on the bum!