# 19 Rules: Secrets to Pilot Training in the United States *A practical field guide for aspiring aviators who want to train smart, fly safely, and build lasting careers.* **By Ethan Collins** · Updated November 2025 --- ## Meet the Author My name is Ethan Collins, and I have logged 1,833 total hours as a professional pilot, flight instructor, and avionics specialist—including 633 hours in turbine aircraft, 40 hours solo, 792 hours of dual instruction given, and 119 hours of dual received. I have captained Pilatus PC-12 airline operations, guided students through private, instrument, and commercial checkrides with a 100% pass rate, and supported avionics integration projects for general aviation fleets. Busy aviation entrepreneurs and chief pilots bring me in when they need trusted expertise without pausing their core business. I smooth the learning curve for new hires, translate FAA requirements into workable action plans, and help teams avoid the costly trial-and-error that drains schedules and budgets. - **Airline and charter experience:** Pilatus PC-12 captain during rapid network expansion. - **Instructional track record:** Certified Flight Instructor and Instrument Instructor with perfect student outcomes. - **Technical depth:** Avionics specialist with Part 43 compliance experience. > **TUTORING & CONSULTING** > > I offer tailored mentoring for student pilots and turnkey consulting for flight departments—lesson plan development, safety audits, instructor onboarding, and owner-operator coaching. If you are too busy to research every option, I will curate the best path forward and stay with you through execution. Reach me at southeastaerialsystems@gmail.com or 803-497-2245 to book time. --- ## Introduction Pilot training in the United States is rigorous, rewarding, and intensely personal. The process demands more than technical skill; it requires disciplined study habits, smart financial choices, a strong support network, and an unshakeable commitment to safety. With dozens of training pathways, aircraft, and instructors to choose from, it is easy to make expensive mistakes or fall into bad habits that slow your progress. This booklet distills nineteen hard-earned lessons drawn from flight decks, maintenance hangars, simulator bays, and briefing rooms. Each rule is rooted in practical experience and highlights the habits that help aspiring pilots thrive. Whether you are logging your first hour or refining your approach for the airlines, these insights will help you train with purpose, protect your investment, and build a resilient aviation career. --- ## Flight Experience Snapshot My logbook reflects a balanced blend of turbine airline operations, primary instruction, and advanced instrument mentoring. The hours below represent the foundation I draw on when tailoring training plans and advising flight departments. - **Total Time:** 1,833 hours - **Turbine Time:** 633 hours - **Solo Time:** 40 hours - **Dual Instruction Given:** 792 hours - **Dual Instruction Received:** 119 hours --- ## Remember Every Rule: The PILOT System Nineteen rules are a lot to carry into a busy cockpit. This system folds every one of them into a single word you already know—**PILOT**—so you can recall the whole playbook on demand. Each letter opens a short, memorable mini-checklist. ### P — PREPARE *(checklist: PREP)* *Do the work before the prop turns.* - **P**lan every lesson — *Rule 4: Insist on Structured Lesson Plans* - **R**ehearse flows, checklists & radios — *Rule 6: Master Checklists, Flows, and Radios Early* - **E**xam first; finish ground school — *Rule 1: Complete Ground School Before Flight Training* - **P**ractice old-school fundamentals — *Rule 15: Practice Old-School Fundamentals* ### I — INVEST in your CADRE *(checklist: CADRE)* *Surround yourself with the right people.* - **C**rew up; study in pairs — *Rule 10: Study in Pairs* - **A**ppreciate your instructor — *Rule 5: Invest in the Instructor Relationship* - **D**epartments; explore every one — *Rule 12: Explore Every Department* - **R**ole models; seek mentors — *Rule 16: Seek Mentors for Every Season* - **E**xperienced pilots; fly with them — *Rule 11: Fly with Seasoned Pilots* ### L — LEAD like a PRO *(checklist: PRO)* *Treat your training like a business.* - **P**ay smart; pay as you go — *Rule 3: Control How You Pay* - **R**esearch schools with proven results — *Rule 2: Choose Schools with Proven Results* - **O**wn strategically — *Rule 8: Consider Aircraft Ownership Strategically* ### O — OPERATE like an ACE *(checklist: ACE)* *Fly ahead of the airplane.* - **A**nticipate; stay fifteen minutes ahead — *Rule 7: Stay Fifteen Minutes Ahead* - **C**onditions; train in weather & busy airspace — *Rule 9: Train in Weather and Busy Airspace* - **E**xacting; demand precision, not perfection — *Rule 17: Demand Precision, Not Perfection* ### T — THRIVE and stay SAFE *(checklist: SAFE)* *Protect the pilot, not just the flight.* - **S**afety; stack the odds — *Rule 19: Stack the Odds in Favor of Safety* - **A**irport; live there and immerse — *Rule 18: Live at the Airport* - **F**it life outside the cockpit — *Rule 14: Protect Your Life Outside the Cockpit* - **E**ach flight, dress the part — *Rule 13: Dress Like the Professional You Are* > **How to use it:** Memorize the five pillar words first (PREP · CADRE · PRO · ACE · SAFE). Then drill one mini-checklist per day. By the end of the week you can recite all nineteen rules from the single word **PILOT**. --- ## Rule 1 — Complete Ground School Before Flight Training Learn systems, regulations, and procedures on the ground while the clock is not running. It is far easier to master instrument scans, cockpit flows, and emergency memory items in a quiet study space than in a busy cockpit where every minute costs money. Treat ground school the same way other professions treat prerequisites—you would not step into a surgical suite without anatomy or head into a chemistry lab without lecture prep. Do not let anyone pressure you into flying without a thorough preflight briefing, assigned study material, and time to review the next lesson. Use *chair flying* to mentally rehearse each maneuver; visualization builds muscle memory and sharpens reaction time. > **CHECKLIST** > > Complete your FAA written exam before the first flight lesson, study the night before every sortie, and confirm the objectives of the next lesson during the post-flight briefing. --- ## Rule 2 — Choose Schools with Proven Results The United States has thousands of flight schools ranging from single-aircraft operators to airline-owned academies. Investigate their track records before you sign a contract. Verify that the school is listed with the Federal Aviation Administration and ask about completion rates, stage check performance, and instructor turnover. FAR Part 141 schools offer tighter oversight and structured syllabi, even if you ultimately train under Part 61. Large universities may cost more but provide degree pathways, restricted ATP eligibility, and alumni networks. If you want accelerated training, look for programs that pattern their curriculum after military standards. After a school mishandled my early training, moving to a structured Part 61 program inside a Part 141 school helped me finish on schedule and on budget. --- ## Rule 3 — Control How You Pay Aviation attracts incredible mentors, but it also attracts sharks. Never disclose how much cash you have ready, and do not prepay large sums for the promise of discounted rates. Pay as you go so the school earns your business every flight. If a program insists on upfront deposits, walk away. Likewise, monitor your statements. Question surprise fees, stop ten-minute billing increments for hallway conversations, and require accurate dispatch invoices. You are not being difficult—you are building disciplined financial habits that will keep you in the air. --- ## Rule 4 — Insist on Structured Lesson Plans Early in my training I had an instructor who never shared lesson objectives until we reached the flight line. No homework, no syllabus, and no measurable standards. I plateaued quickly. Once I transferred to a school with formal syllabi, dedicated briefing rooms, and standardized dispatch paperwork, my progress accelerated. A structured plan mirrors what airlines expect: flows, checklists, target tolerances, and documented performance. If a school cannot show you written lesson plans, stage check criteria, or study resources, they are not ready to train professional pilots. --- ## Rule 5 — Invest in the Instructor Relationship Your instructor has lived through turbulence, icing, maintenance scrambles, and checkride prep. They juggle student schedules, simulator sessions, and constant weather reviews. Show appreciation—buy the coffee, bring the water, and ask thoughtful questions away from the billing clock. Camaraderie matters. People love *Top Gun* because it is about friendship under pressure. The same is true in flight school. When your instructor feels valued, they share stories, shortcuts, and professional connections that do not fit into a standard briefing. --- ## Rule 6 — Master Checklists, Flows, and Radios Early I once coached an instrument student who struggled on every approach. She did not understand her Garmin G1000, could not sequence frequencies, and tried to fly solely from memory. We rewound her training, practiced programming the GPS on the ground, and rehearsed each checklist until it was second nature. Confidence followed, and she passed her instrument checkride with ease. Learn every cockpit flow, every clearance phrase, and every navigation aid you will touch before the prop turns. Knowledge eliminates fear. Use desktop simulators, printed checklists, and mock radios to build muscle memory without burning fuel. --- ## Rule 7 — Stay Fifteen Minutes Ahead At 500 knots you cover more than eight miles every minute. In fifteen minutes you will travel over 120 nautical miles. Airliners expect you to be ahead of the airplane at all times, so practice that discipline now. Continuously ask: What is next? What checklist is coming? What frequency will I need? Which contingency plans are valid? Carry a kneeboard, take organized notes, and rehearse the next phase of flight while executing the current one. Staying ahead preserves brain space for decision-making when variables change. --- ## Rule 8 — Consider Aircraft Ownership Strategically From zero time through commercial with instructor ratings can easily exceed $60,000 when renting. A well-maintained late-model Cessna 172 might cost $80,000 to $100,000. If you can afford financing or partnerships, owning the aircraft and leasing it back to the school can offset fuel and maintenance while guaranteeing access. Run the numbers carefully: budget for fuel, scheduled inspections, and reserves. Work with an aviation accountant before you sign, and make sure the school's insurance covers the leaseback arrangement. Done correctly, you can train on your schedule and earn revenue when others fly the airplane. --- ## Rule 9 — Train in Weather and Busy Airspace Fair-weather pilots stagnate. Seek out instructors who will safely expose you to instrument meteorological conditions, gusty crosswinds, and complex airspace. File IFR, request practice approaches, and learn to brief everything from Class B transitions to Special Flight Rules Areas. Commit emergency procedures and stall recoveries to muscle memory. Fly with professionals who have logged serious weather—former military pilots, seasoned charter captains, current controllers. I still remember breaking through a low cloud deck at sunrise and seeing C-17s carving vortices below us. Experiences like that build respect for weather and ATC coordination long before you report to a regional airline. --- ## Rule 10 — Study in Pairs Camaraderie is both support and accountability. The U.S. Navy trains pilots in pairs because learning accelerates when you can debrief with someone at your level. Find a classmate who will quiz flows, rehearse checklists, and monitor your progress. Protect yourself with healthy boundaries. Competition exists, and some people will rearrange schedules or hoard resources. Set expectations early, communicate clearly, and collaborate with those who want everyone to succeed. --- ## Rule 11 — Fly with Seasoned Pilots Peers can only share what they know. Expand your circle to include pilots ahead of you in the training pipeline. Offer to be a safety pilot for instrument students, split airplane rental, and soak up their experience. They often need simulated instrument time and will happily trade knowledge for a second set of eyes. I refined fuel planning with a retired corporate captain, learned storm avoidance from an FAA instrument-procedures specialist, and practiced dead reckoning with a former special operations pilot. Each perspective made me a safer aviator. --- ## Rule 12 — Explore Every Department Pilots rely on a vast ecosystem: A&P and IA mechanics, FBO line crews, dispatchers, meteorologists, avionics technicians, TSA agents, and more. Schedule visits to maintenance hangars, control towers, weather offices, and charter operations. Bring coffee, ask questions, and understand what they need from you to keep the system running safely. When I worked for a regional airline, many ramp agents were studying to become copilots within a year. Building those relationships made operations smoother and opened unexpected doors. --- ## Rule 13 — Dress Like the Professional You Are Appearance influences perception. Pressed shirts and polished shoes signal that you take the privilege of flight seriously. Once, when a passenger was upset about a delay, I explained the situation while wearing a neat uniform. He immediately accepted the answer—nothing I said differed from the gate agent, but the uniform amplified credibility. I failed a commercial checkride wearing casual clothes. I passed the retest in a clean uniform because the examiner saw the change in mindset. Treat every flight like a job interview. --- ## Rule 14 — Protect Your Life Outside the Cockpit Your personal life powers your professional performance. Keep living spaces tidy, meal prep for long training days, bring electrolytes on hot flights, and exercise to handle high workload environments. Maintain close relationships so you have a support system after multi-day trips. I lost an airline job when I let outside chaos bleed into cockpit performance. Do not repeat that mistake. Manage finances responsibly, choose healthy friends, and seek help when you need it. Aviation rewards disciplined lifestyles. --- ## Rule 15 — Practice Old-School Fundamentals Master paper navigation logs, weight-and-balance forms, pilotage, and dead reckoning before relying on tablets. Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic with a compass, stopwatch, sextant, and grit. Technology is wonderful, but batteries overheat, screens freeze, and software fails. I did not allow myself an iPad during primary training. Instead, I used a manual E6B, paper charts, and a simple radio stack. Later, when I adopted ForeFlight and noise-canceling headsets, the transition was effortless because I already understood the fundamentals. --- ## Rule 16 — Seek Mentors for Every Season Identify pilots who represent the professional you want to become in five, ten, and twenty years. Take them to lunch, ask for advice, and stay in touch. My desire to fly began during a Boy Scout trip to Pelion Airport, where a pilot showed us charts under the glow of a green tent lamp. He became my first mentor, and others followed. Mentors will not chase you—you must pursue them respectfully, keep them updated, and show that you follow through on their guidance. --- ## Rule 17 — Demand Precision, Not Perfection Every airplane has imperfections. Use the Minimum Equipment List to determine what truly matters, maintain a culture of precision, and keep maintenance teams informed. Accept that you will rarely have the perfect flight, perfect weather, or perfect schedule. Adopt the "three strikes" rule: if three significant issues pile up before a flight—fatigue, marginal weather, mechanical squawks—call it off. Flying sick or distracted is never worth the risk. --- ## Rule 18 — Live at the Airport It takes roughly 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to develop true expertise. You cannot buy that experience; you must live it. Spend time in hangars, observe maintenance, sit in on briefings, and ask dispatchers questions. Absorb everything. Build buffer time into every duty day. When I flew for the airlines, arriving an hour early let me swap aircraft during maintenance delays and improved my on-time record dramatically. Early arrival reduces stress and demonstrates professionalism. --- ## Rule 19 — Stack the Odds in Favor of Safety Follow the FARs even when nobody is watching. I once saw a pilot skim the Everglades below 500 feet for twenty miles. Maybe he got away with it that day; the odds will not stay in his favor forever. Know the difference between being current and being proficient. Logbook entries mean little if you do not feel comfortable shooting an ILS to minimums or handling strong crosswinds. Write down your personal minimums for weather, risk factors, and fatigue, then honor them. If you make a mistake, correct it, debrief it, and move on. Do not stack errors. Consecutive risks compound into accidents. --- ## Conclusion Becoming a professional pilot requires more than checkrides and logbook entries. It is shaped by your habits, relationships, and daily decisions. These nineteen rules capture lessons that keep you moving forward: prepare thoroughly, protect your resources, invest in mentors, train for the unexpected, and never compromise on safety. Carry this booklet with you, add notes from your own journey, and share it with the next generation of aviators. Stay focused, stay humble, and always fly with purpose.