Bob excuse me but I did not insult the dead?
Surely this practice is ripe for a little bit of risk management!
For instance, as mentioned in this thread getting out after start to check for oil leaks, where are the ground crew? If you are involved in helicopter operations that are so tight for margins that you have no ground support to hook up a load WTF! If you have no time to shutdown and piss WTF!
I do not believe ANY helicopter flight manual allows the pilot to leave the controls with the rotor under power. In JAR-EASA Land this is further expressly forbidden by the rules. In addition, Aerial work manuals need to specify adequate manpower for load lifting etc which rules out any requirement for pilots to engage in what surely must be recognised by any sensible proffessional pilot as utter folly.
Again we have the "seasoned old sweats" claim how "essential" this is to their small time underfunded operations and how those of us who are quite rightly appalled that any rational person would consider this are pussies who do not work for a living.......Errr NO, it is just excessive risk taken for all the wrong reasons!
As for a fluids check!! What cobblers, you cannot see any levels in gearboxes that are turning!!
Hydrualics OFF/ON, frictions OFF/ON, ground idle Vs flight Idle. Just look at the ludicrous advice in this thread. Here's my contribution. If you are engaged in an operation that involves you doing this STOP IT you are breaking the law and risking yours and anyone else involved life.
Finally all small helicopters are certified with a human in the pilot seat. Removing the human with rotors turning puts the helicopter in an untested part of the flight envelope. All sorts of problems like ground resonance, dynamic roll over become possible.
I can think of few horrific ways to check out than being savaged by your own main rotor.