I think it is a simple question of what is best for the current situation that you find yourself in. If you have a certain type of light that is distracting in cloud switch it off if or if you feel that it is lowering your night vision capability and you think you might need it for landing at a poorly lit airfield or for going en-route VFR then switch them off in cloud.
I have flown a few different types and in some strobes and landing lights are more distracting than in others, due to strength and position. I was able to switch to red strobes on one type if the whites were distracting which was useful.
I don't like quotes like "I simply follow company SOP...I don't ask why, I just do it, now everyone is happy" Well it does not make me happy, SOP stands for STANDARD Operating Procedures, very often in aviation things are not standard and blind adherence to the SOP may not always be appropriate. As pilots we must be able to think why has the SOP been written and decide if it is appropriate to deviate from it. Always bare in mind that you may have to defend your actions in an inquiry. Which I would rather do than simply following SOPs in a situation that could lead to an incident/accident.
Just my personal thoughts.
Last edited by bayete; 16th Sep 2009 at 09:21.
Reason: To say BOAC just beat me to it, too slow at typing, me