Definition
A method of air navigation in which the pilot determines and maintains position by direct visual reference to landmarks on the surface, such as roads, rivers, towns, coastlines, and prominent terrain features.
Plain English
Finding your way by looking out the window and matching what you see on the ground to what you see on your chart.
Context Anchor
Used during visual flight planning and cross-country flying, especially when matching the route on a chart to real features outside the airplane.
Derivation
From the French piloter, meaning 'to steer or guide.' In early aviation, pilots literally guided the aircraft by sight, the same way a ship's pilot guided a vessel through known waters using visible landmarks.
Why Pilots Care
Provides a reliable backup method for maintaining position awareness when electronic navigation aids are unavailable or unreliable.
Analogy
It is like taking a road trip by recognizing the river, bridge, town, and highway signs along the way, instead of relying only on an electronic map.
Intuition Check
Pilotage does not mean piloting skill in general. In this context, it specifically means navigating by looking outside at recognizable ground features.
Example Sentence 1
On her first solo cross-country, she used pilotage to confirm her position by spotting a bend in the river marked on her sectional chart.
Example Sentence 2
When the GPS failed, the pilot reverted to pilotage by tracking a river toward the destination.