A humorous substitute for "pilot," often used within the aviation community. Many believe the obviously incorrect spelling is meant to be the humor itself, but the word actually comes from an anonymous user operating under the username "PyloteP6" who would often write comments online on proposed FAA Advisory Circulars around
2012. These comments would detail supposed outrageous practices the user had witnessed during his career as an airline pilot, and would frequently
try to "expose" the aviation industry by claiming that pilots were frequently intoxicated in the
cockpit, that sexual favors were required to get
top airline positions, and that being anally raped was widely considered a rite of passage for flight attendants.
The term is now most commonly used on the
Reddit forum r/shittyaskflying, where users substitute "pilot" for "pylote" as a
way of mocking fellow pilots or signalling their participation in the
niche aviation humor.
"For some reason, the girl at the
bar was not impressed when I told her I was a pylote."
"For pylotes, the
alcohol rule is '8 hours,
bottle to throttle.' That means that after 8 hours of heavy drinking, the bottle turns into a throttle."