Yup, welcome to the party ;p
Personal two cents.
its quicker to find the power plant if you scroll upwards, it should flip around and you have pp selected at about 6 clicks, (I have subsystem target directly on my sticks so i never use the menu, unless I want to see weapons loadout, got to love luxury
)
I keep 3 pips to engines and 3 to weps, 2-4 when attacking in a good position, I only swap pips to sys when I start taking fire or am about to.
Just my two cents, but thrusters on the vulture gets even more manoeuvreable with three pips to engines and that at a good firing position and their blindspot even longer so you wind up needing even less shields.
Until you piss of a wing or a fed Gunship/assault ship .
Those are pretty much the only things to worry about.