From Morrow Owners' Digest, edited by Emma Paquin:

ABOUT THAT PILOT/ PROMPT-----
Quite  a few people gave directions on getting rid of the  PILOT? 
prompt error.  The laziest solution was to type in WS and a  {CR} 
(on  a  WordStar  disk) and the program would  appear,  but  that 
didn't get rid of the PILOT?  message,  and next time it would be 
there again.

The  most popular solution was to use the AUTO command,  and  the 
recommendation  was,  "Read the User's Manual." If you  have  the 
earliest  8-1/2" x 11" loose-leaf User's Manual,  your directions 
for AUTO are NOT right.  Everybody's manual is not the same, just 
as  terminals  are  not  the same  (which  is  another  point  of 
confusion).

Here's EXACTLY what to do to delete the PILOT? using AUTO.

Turn on the system.  When the screen directs,  put in Drive A,  a 
CP/m  working diskette that has AUTO COM on it.  In Drive B,  put 
your  sysgened WordStat (or whatever program)  working  diskette. 
Choose  the menu option that exits to CP/M-sometimes it is escape 
- and when the A} appears type in this:

        pip B:=A:auto.com
Hit the RETURN key. The A> will reappear.
Remove the CP/M diskette from Drive A and put WordStar in A.  Hit 
CTRL C - a good habit after disk changes,  whether you need it or 
not. Type in this:

             AUTO WS
and hit the RETURN  key. 

Push the reset button.  The program comes up without that  PILOT? 
and you will no longer be bothered with it. The CP/M system is no 
longer   trying   to   load  and  execute   the   PILOT   program 
automatically.