When the Rules Change, You Might Pay for Other Pilots’ Mistakes

Foolish decisions to disregard aviation regulations can definitely introduce a negative trickle-down effect.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, June 03, 2025 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

[Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Aviation regulations (FARs) are paramount, often established in response to past accidents, yet pilots sometimes fail to adhere to essential pre-flight procedures and other critical rules.
Beyond federal regulations, internal flight school rules regarding scheduling, aircraft use, and attendance are crucial, with violations leading to penalties for individuals and potential policy changes for all.
A tragic 2012 accident involving an intoxicated CFI taking an unauthorized flight prompted FAA scrutiny of flight school after-hours access policies and highlighted the profound trust placed in pilots to act responsibly and avoid behavior that jeopardizes safety and privileges.

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One of the first things you learn as a pilot in training is that aviation is built on rules and regulations. Learners are often admonished with hearing the “Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) are written in blood,” meaning take them seriously, because some were written after an event that resulted in injury or death.

After the accident the investigating authorities and the FAA or its predecessor, the Civil Aeronautics Authority, determined it could have been prevented if only the pilot hadn’t done this or that, or had taken certain steps that would have resulted in a different outcome. Thus, the FARs were born.