Whooaaa... easy there, Trigger! My point was that when I preflight the R22, I take extra time and definately include the top, rotor head, nook, cranny, and small areas barely big enough for a ferrit. However, on the R44 - I don't believe it is part of the normal preflight procedure to inspect the top. Since I don't fly the R44, I could be wrong. However, when I went to the RHC Safety Course (last year), we asked about how to inspect the top of the R44. The response was that it wasn't required, and that a visual inspection would do (but you could get a step ladder and look if you wanted to).
My point is... better safe than sorry - and as PIC, you should take as long as you want for preflight. Some folks fault me for taking up to 30 minutes to preflight an R22, but that is their problem - not mine. (My a$$ = my rules).