Definition of "pilot" []

• One who operates or is licensed to operate an aircraft in flight. (noun)
• Nautical One who, though not belonging to a ship's company, is licensed to conduct a ship into and out of port or through dangerous waters. (noun)
• Nautical The helmsman of a ship. (noun)
• One who guides or directs a course of action for others. (noun)
• The part of a tool, device, or machine that leads or guides the whole. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "McCorkle had always refused to use the term pilot error, saying it would be illegal for him to declare a cause until the mishap board had finished its investigation."
• "After Apple's event, McGraw-Hill executives repeatedly used the phrase "pilot pricing" to describe their near-term plans."
• "Hence that may be behind his use of the term pilot ?"