pilot
n. countablen. a person who flies an aircraft, like a plane or a helicopter. You can also use this word for a test episode of a new TV show.
n. a person qualified to operate the flying controls of an aircraft. Also refers to a single television episode produced as a prototype to determine whether a series will be commissioned.
The pilot landed the plane safely during the storm.
After the pilot episode received high ratings from the test audience, the network ordered a full season of the show.
Commercial pilots must undergo rigorous psychological evaluations and hundreds of hours of flight training before they are permitted to command long-haul international routes.
From Middle French pilot, pillot, from Italian pilota, piloto, older also pedotta, pedot(t)o (the form in pil- is probably influenced by pileggiare (“to sail, navigate”)); ultimately from unattested Byzantine Greek πηδώτης (pēdṓtēs, “helmsman”), from Ancient Greek πηδόν (pēdón, “blade of an oar, oar”), hence also Ancient and Modern Greek πηδάλιον (pēdálion, “rudder”).
When referring to a television show, it is often used as a noun adjunct, as in 'pilot episode'.