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Aviation glossary

Pilotage

What is pilotage?

Illustration related to pilotage
Image: Graham Hogg — CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pilotage is navigation by visual reference to ground landmarks—rivers, roads, towns, and other recognizable features—to determine your position and stay on course. Because you're looking directly at the terrain below, it's an excellent way to confirm your location and avoid entering airspace you're not authorized to fly in. Think of it as navigating the way a road-tripper does with their eyes out the window, matching what they see to the map.

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