Yep, that's right. Nowadays we have a system called TCAS (Traffic collision avoidance system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) that works great. I don't know how it was back in the Zeppeliner days when you used to be involved in aviation
This is what we're up against!
25yr olds who know best because they have been taught to fly by stimulus and reflex like Pavlovs dogs. Flaps up = lights off, allegedly because it saves fuel if you believe such tosh! Clearly a litre or two of Jet A1 is more important than being seen...even in the London TMA! Weaving in and out of those stacks full of responsible aviators all with their lights on wrapped in a comfortable bubble of TCAS-induced complacency because only dithering old Zeppeliners are quaint enough to look outside. "Why? We're in controlled airspace, aren't we? We don't need to!" "We could be in cloud". No shred of questioning, wondering why everyone else has lights on, why not me. It saves fuel! And they'll carefully remind you (dithering old non-commercial fool that you are not to have realised it yourself) that even if it saves a litre then a litre times x hundred sectors in the company per day times 365 times $ equals half the national debt. QED. They have even been programmed to - damn, I nearly said "think" - that's the one thing they have specifically programmed NOT to do - programmed to
react like the reptilian grey-faced accountants that spawn this sort of bolleaux in the office.
The mere fact that anyone thinks there is or should be a rigid "procedure" laid down for use of lights is a good indication that there is a problem - it should be second nature, judgement and those unmentionable heretical words at the end of this post. Lights do not need a rigid procedure - surely that is so blindingly obvious it doesn't even need to be stated? But apparently not...
I suppose this is an inevitable result of manufacturing pilots instead of growing them. Logic; Everything is done by numbers and "procedure" thus all procedures are equally important. So how landing lights are used is of equal seriousness and importance as achieving a stabilised approach or giving an endless exhaustive five minute OPC sim brief for departure from base with a slot looming and time is of the essence. There's no judgement, flexibility or sense of scale or relative importance involved.
You know, this time I'm going to put on my yellow roadmenders coat and
then say it out loud. Shout it!
AIRMANSHIP!
AIRMANSHIP!
AIRMANSHIP!
Capt Zeppelin.
edit, to add;
Markerinbound's post No 11 above presents the lights philosophy perfectly, and guess where from? The land of practical aviation! Straight from the FAA's mouth. Perfect! Thanks Marker - spot on.