To arm or not to arm??
During the lifetime of this design of float system (which I believe is the same as that used on the Merlin and the Lynx) there have been no reported instances of inadvertent inflation in flight and the many many thousands of hours of their use whilst 'armed' testify I believe to a well designed and reliable system. There have, however, been several instances where folk have perished or very nearly perished thanks to an inadvertent ditching with the floats un-armed - in other types (S76 for example, NY and SW)
I empathise with those who have a weird feeling thrashing around with floats armed when that was not the case in a previous type but the stats tell it all.
If you choose to go against the flight manual then please do it formally with a written submission to your NAA and or AW rather than just 'doing your thing' and maybe finding out the hard way that making up your own rules can be a tricky way forward when the proverbial hits the fan.
G.