The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word AVIATOR
A
V
I
A
T
O
R
More clues leading to the result AVIATOR
- One flying aircraft at first by way of rocky peak
- Flyer primarily advertising the Italian way to run
- Flyer sees V1 in two areas approaching hill
- One flying out of Yugoslavia to Romania
- One flies aircraft at first by way of rocky peak
- A very odd riot involving a pilot
- Pilot taking a bomb to a great height
- Heading off, navigator defying gravity?
- A bomb that flew over a hill gets airman
- Maybe Post Office really apologising— from the start IT at fault
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Pilot" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case pilot = aviator.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does AVIATOR mean?
AVIATOR noun- An aircraft pilot. The use of the word may imply claims of superior airmanship, as in navy aviator vs. air force pilot.
- An experimenter in aviation.
- A flying machine.