# pilot

Pronunciation: say "PY-luht" /ˈpaɪ.lət/

## Noun

1. A person who operates the controls of an aircraft.
   - Simple: Someone who flies an airplane and controls where it goes.
   - _The pilot guided the jet smoothly onto the runway._
   - _Two pilots share responsibility for long-haul flights._
2. A sample episode of a proposed television series, produced to decide whether the full series should be made.
   - Simple: A first test episode of a show, made to see if the whole series should be made.
   - _Producers shot the pilot last spring and are waiting on the network's decision._
   - _Several pilots were filmed that season, but only one became a series._
6. A person who knows the depths and currents of a harbor or coast well, and is hired by a vessel to help navigate the area.
   - Simple: An expert in local waters who is hired to steer ships safely into and out of a harbor.
   - _A pilot boarded the tanker at dawn to guide it past the sandbars into port._
   - _Local pilots spend years memorizing every shoal and current in the bay._
7. A person who steers a ship, also called a helmsman.
   - Simple: A person whose job is to steer a ship and keep it on course.
   - _The pilot gripped the wheel, holding course through the heavy swell._
   - _On old sailing ships, the pilot steered by the stars at night._
8. A person who guides or escorts others through an unfamiliar or dangerous area.
   - Simple: Someone who leads others safely through a place that is strange or dangerous.
   - _A local pilot led the expedition through the treacherous mountain passes._
   - _Without a trusted pilot, the smugglers would never have crossed the marshes._
9. A small, continuously burning flame used to ignite a larger burner, as in a gas appliance.
   - Simple: A small flame that stays burning to light a bigger flame when needed.
   - _When the pilot flickers out, the gas furnace shuts off automatically._
   - _A draft from the window kept blowing out the stove's pilot._
12. Something that serves as a test or trial before a larger effort.
   - Simple: Something done as a small test before doing the full thing.
   - _The new menu started as a pilot in three restaurants._
   - _Management treated the first month as a pilot for the wider rollout._
13. A driver who races motor vehicles in competition. *(Europe)*
   - Simple: A driver who races cars against others in competitions.
   - _The pilot held a narrow lead going into the final corner._
   - _Veteran pilots know exactly when to push their cars and when to hold back._
14. A vehicle that travels ahead of an oversize load to alert other road users to its approach. *(colloquial, Australia)*
   - Simple: A car or truck that drives in front of a very wide load to warn other drivers.
   - _The pilot pulled over to let oncoming traffic pass the oversized trailer._
   - _Oversize convoys often require a pilot at both the front and rear._
15. A person authorized to drive an escort vehicle that warns traffic of an approaching oversize load. *(Australia)*
   - Simple: A person who drives the warning vehicle that travels ahead of a very wide load.
   - _A licensed pilot rode ahead of the convoy, radioing warnings about tight bends._
   - _The company hired two pilots to escort the turbine blades across three states._
18. A signal for controlling or synchronizing a communications system, most often transmitted at just one frequency.
   - Simple: A steady tone sent through a communication system to help control or keep signals in time.
   - _FM stereo broadcasts include a 19 kHz pilot that the receiver uses to decode the channels._
   - _The system locks onto the pilot to synchronize the two ends of the link._
19. A printed guide giving directions and information for navigating coastal waters, harbors, and other maritime routes.
   - Simple: A book that gives sailors directions for steering safely along a coast or into a port.
   - _The navigator opened the pilot to the chapter describing the harbor approaches._
   - _The shelf held several pilots covering the entire western coast._
20. The angled frame mounted at the front of a locomotive to clear obstacles from the track.
   - Simple: The metal frame on the front of a train engine that pushes things off the tracks.
   - _The locomotive's pilot deflected a tree limb that had fallen across the line._
   - _Restorers repainted the pilot before the steam engine returned to service._
22. A short plug at the end of a counterbore, sometimes interchangeable, that fits an existing hole to guide the tool.
   - Simple: A short tip at the end of a cutting tool that fits into a hole to keep the tool centered.
   - _The counterbore's pilot fit snugly into the predrilled hole, keeping the cut concentric._
   - _Machinists keep several pilots on hand to match different bore diameters._
23. A small heading or excavation driven first, ahead of the work of creating a larger tunnel.
   - Simple: A small tunnel dug first to test the ground before a larger tunnel is built.
   - _Engineers advanced a pilot ahead of the main bore to assess the ground conditions._
   - _Water seeping into the pilot warned the crew before they enlarged the excavation._
24. An instrument used to detect and measure the error in a compass reading.
   - Simple: A device used to find out how far a compass reading is wrong.
   - _Before setting course, the mate checked the compass against the pilot._
   - _The pilot revealed a small deviation that had crept into the magnetic compass._
25. A person who flies a kite, controlling its movements with the line.
   - Simple: A person who flies a kite on a string.
   - _The pilot let out more line until the kite caught the steady wind._
   - _Experienced pilots steered their kites through loops above the beach._

## Verb

3. To test an idea, product, or program on a limited scale before launching it fully.
   - Simple: To try out a new idea or product on a small scale first.
   - _The company will pilot the app with a few hundred users next month._
   - _Hospitals often pilot new procedures in a single ward first._
5. To control and direct an aircraft or watercraft.
   - Simple: To fly an airplane or steer a boat, controlling where it goes.
   - _Only experienced crew may pilot the tanker through the strait._
   - _The astronaut trained to pilot the capsule during re-entry._
10. To guide or lead a person to a particular place.
   - Simple: To lead a person to a place, showing them the way.
   - _The host will pilot each guest through the crowded gallery._
   - _An usher piloted the latecomers to their seats in the dark._
11. To guide a vessel through coastal waters, steering it safely along the coast.
   - Simple: To direct and steer a vessel safely through the waters along a coast.
   - _Local crews pilot every large ship through the narrow channel at high tide._
   - _She has piloted dozens of vessels safely past the reef._
21. To act as the leading locomotive on a train hauled by two engines coupled together.
   - Simple: To run as the front engine on a train pulled by two engines.
   - _The yard assigned an extra locomotive to pilot the overloaded coal train through the hills._
   - _When grades steepened, lighter engines would pilot the heavier road locomotives._

## Adjective

4. Made or used as a test or demonstration of how well something performs.
   - Simple: Used as a first test of how well something works.
   - _The agency funded a pilot program to test the new recycling method._
   - _Early data from the pilot phase convinced managers to expand the effort._
16. Designating a vehicle whose role is to warn other road users that an oversize vehicle or combination is approaching.
   - Simple: Describing a car or truck that drives ahead of a very wide load to warn others.
   - _The convoy traveled with a pilot vehicle at the front flashing amber lights._
   - _State law required a pilot escort whenever the load blocked more than one lane._
17. Designating a component or signal that serves to control or activate another, larger device.
   - Simple: Describing a small part or signal that turns on or controls a bigger machine.
   - _The furnace won't start because the pilot flame has gone out._
   - _Engineers traced the fault to a faulty pilot relay in the control panel._

## Origin

It comes from Middle French pilot, from Italian pilota (older pedotta), and ultimately from an unattested Byzantine Greek word meaning 'helmsman', based on Ancient Greek pēdón, 'blade of an oar, oar'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pilot (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).