The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - pilot n.

1) aviator, aviatrix, flier, airman, airwoman, aeronaut, captain: The pilot announced that we would land in five minutes. 2) steersman, helmsman, navigator, US wheelman or wheelsman; guide, leader, cicerone, conductor: The pilot knows his way through the shoals. A student acted as our pilot in our tour of Oxford. --v. 3) guide, steer, run, direct, shepherd, control, lead, navigate, drive; fly: Only someone with local knowledge can pilot the ship into that harbour. The chairman piloted the company through turbulent times.