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"pilot" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often aviator (7 letters).
Definitions
A person who flies an aircraft; also a test episode or guide.
Word origin
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”).
Used in a sentence
“They scud before the wind, and sail in open sea. Ahead of all the master pilot steers; And, as he leads, the following navy veers.”
“So we mounted our horses, and put out for that town, under the direction of two friendly Creeks we had taken for pilots.”
“We would like to run a pilot in your facility before rolling out the program citywide.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer4 curated clues
01“Aircraft operator”5 letters
02“One flying a plane”5 letters
03“Plane operator”5 letters
04“Plane driver”5 letters
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