RADIO CTLED RWY LIGHTS WHEN TWR CLOSED.

Narrative

ACR X WAS EXPECTING THE VISUAL APCH INTO DEC BY ZAU. I SAW ARPT ROTATING BEACON ABOUT 6 MI FROM THE RWY; BUT NO RWY LIGHTS. WAS CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH BY CTR. DECIDED TO CANCEL IFR AND SWITCHED TO THE CTAF (AS THE TWR WAS NOT OPEN YET). TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO INCREASE THE RWY LIGHT INTENSITY BY CLICKING MIKE APPROPRIATE TIMES -- NO CHANGE IN INTENSITY. FINALLY PICKED UP THE RWY ABOUT 4 MI OUT. LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. TAXIED TO THE RAMP. ABOUT 10 MINS LATER; WAS TAXIING FOR DEP AND TALKING TO DEC GND. WHILE I TAXIED; MY FO TOLD GND THAT WE WERE UNABLE TO INCREASE RWY LIGHT INTENSITY INBOUND. GND CTLR STATED THAT SHE HAD SWITCHED THE CTL OF RWY LIGHTS FROM PLT CTLED TO TWR CTLED BEFORE THE TWR HAD OPENED (APPROX XA50 AM; THE TWR OPENS AT XB00 AM). I DID NOT THINK THIS WAS RIGHT SO I CALLED TWR ON THE PHONE AFTER REACHING MY DEST. SHE REITERATED WHAT SHE HAD DONE; STATING 'I NEED TO SWITCH THE CTL OF THE LIGHTS BEFORE THE TWR OPENS BECAUSE ALL THE RWY AND TAXI LIGHTS MOMENTARILY GO DARK WHEN I MAKE THE SWITCH.' THE PROB HERE IS THAT AS PLTS; WE ARE GUARANTEED PLT CTLED LIGHTING AS PER THE ARPT FACILITY DIRECTORY; AND THAT IS UNTIL THE TWR OPENS; AT XB00 AM. WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT THERE IS ANYONE IN THE TWR TO RAISE THE LIGHT INTENSITY; SO ASKING THE TWR TO DO THAT (RAISE THE INTENSITY) IS POSSIBLY FUTILE. WE JUST SO HAPPENED TO BE IN VFR CONDITIONS; BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT IF WE WERE IMC AND EXPECTING APCH LIGHTS OR HIGH INTENSITY RWY LIGHTS.