Sneech;
Your original question was excellent. I’m not surprised at the quality of the responses, either. These Roterhead guys are great, I love all of you (in a brotherly kind of way, of course).
My own response just sums up the many other great posts.
1. Never EVER be afraid to ask a question. That’s how you learn. Ask your instructors – if you don’t like the answer ask another instructor, ask mechanics, ask groups like Pprune, and so on.
2. Always refer to the checklist for a preflight inspection. It’s your choice if you actually carry the list with you, or just read it over immediately before your walk around. The more complicated the flying machines in your life become, the more important this becomes. If anybody tells you they don’t need a checklist to cover everything on their 2 engine IFR helicopter, they’re lying, full of ****, or both.
3. Over time, by repeating many walk arounds, you will get a feel for what looks “normal”. When you see the un-normal, refer to my point 1.