The heading or excavation of relatively small dimensions, first made in the driving of a larger tunnel.

a filmed or taped episode of a proposed television series, produced as an example of the series. It may be shown only to those television broadcast executives who may decide whether to buy the rights to the series, or aired to test viewer reaction or to interest sponsors. Also called pilot film or pilot tape.

Sample episode of a proposed series which introduces the leading continuing characters, sets up the franchise or setting and the series style.

a program exemplifying a contemplated series; intended to attract sponsors

One employed to steer a vessel; a helmsman; a steersman.

Specifically, a person duly qualified, and licensed by authority, to conduct vessels into and out of a port, or in certain waters, for a fixed rate of fees.

Figuratively: A guide; a director of another through a difficult or unknown course.

A short plug at the end of a counterbore to guide the tool. Pilots are sometimes made interchangeable.

One who flies, or is qualified to fly, an airplane, balloon, or other flying machine.

To fly, or act as pilot of (an aircraft); to operate (an airplane).

a person qualified to operate the controls of an aircraft or spacecraft

The FAA certified and trained person who flies the balloon

A small flame which ignites the main burner when the system calls for heat.

(See also ÒIgnitor.") A flame which is utilized to ignite the fuel at the main burner or burners.

This is the stupid little flame in the Propane and Natural Gas units that you have to light manually initially. It's a stand-by flame when the heater is not actively heating, and the "Pilot" stays lit to ignite the heater when it's eventually ready to boil the tank. Pilot lights are usually "hard starters" at first, because the new gas line has a considerable amount of atmospheric air in it for a good fifteen minutes til the gas works its way out to the heater.

small auxiliary gas burner that provides a flame to ignite a larger gas burner

Pre-production vehicle built on factory assembly line.

Pre-production prototype car built on factory assembly line (to test factory production).

A small test run of a system or production process to verify its acceptance and capabilities before going full-scale.

The initial implementation of a data warehouse. A pilot is always a subset of the intended function and would include a subset of the total set of users. A partially built system to show the capabilities of a full implemented system. A pilot should not become a live system, but usually does. A pilot, proof of concept and prototype are sometimes used synonymously.

The cowcatcher of a locomotive.

an inclined metal frame at the front of a locomotive to clear the track

An employee assigned to a train or track car when the Engineer, Conductor, or Track Car Driver is not qualified on the physical characteristics or the operating rules of the territory traversed.

Formally called a "cow-catcher", the pilot is the lower front portion of the locomotive that protects the wheels from objects on the track. Many pilots have permanent snow plows mounted on them.

Implementing a product or solution to a limited, representative group to gain insight and evaluate feasibility for the entire organization.

Introduction of the solution into the production environment, and trial by installers, systems support staff, and end users; an "opening night."

A pretest or trial run of a program, evaluation instrument, or sampling procedure for the purpose of correcting any problems before it is implemented or used on a larger scale.

Trial program designed to test the feasibility of a possible telemarketing program.

Executive-level operational model based on Polestar, allows collection and processing of overview benchmark data for IT and business activities. Used for IT value assessment studies and for tracking progress towards targets set as a result of IT Performance Improvement engagements.

The operator which controls the movement of towboat.

The operator of a streeluge.

a system that is not yet fully operational

A seaman with extensive knowledge of local conditions. Traditionally often a native fisherman.

an experienced and qualified seaman possessing extensive knowledge local knowledge of the channels, depths of water, currents and dangers within and around the port for which he is licensed

an expert in local waters who assists vessels entering or leaving a harbour

the introductory programming phase in ROBOLAB software. It uses an easy click and choose interface in an existing template. Pilot has four levels. Level 1 is the easiest to use. The Pilot phase does not use all of the capabilities of the RCX.

During the 'pilot phase' a project will appear to deliver useful and worthwhile functionality. This will cease as soon as funding has been secured for further development and the pilot will then become a legacy system.

An initial project which will serve as a model or template for future projects.

Where research is conducted in advance of the actual study to assess the logistics of the study (i.e. the sample, methodology, question wording etc.). The aim is to highlight any areas of weakness which can then be eradicated in the actual study.

a sample level of a game, except limited to the very beginning

A pilot experiment is a precursor to a full-scale study used to check if the sampling techniques is good. Usually conducted with a smaller sample size than the full study, a pilot is generally intended to test experimental procedures and to obtain information useful for conducting power calculations.

A pilot is a proposed curriculum change that may extend to two years in a limited setting. Anchorage School Board Policy stipulates that pilot programs shall be reported to the Board. Pilot programs that involve the expenditure of $20,000 or more require Board approval prior to implementation. Following curriculum committee recommendations, pilots may be removed from pilot status and replicated or terminated.

A tactic in implementation whereby the new product/service is delivered to a select group instead of the entire planned user base.

a form of testing a new development and its implementation prior to committing to its full release.

a report about FAA surveys and what the FAA does with them

The technique of testing a questionnaire on a smaller group of people for ease of completion, before using it on the whole sample. Pilot results may be incorporated in the main survey if no subsequent changes are made to the questionnaire.

A small scale trial run of a survey to check that question and responses are clear and that any problems with the questionnaire are detected.

a two-to-five-week offering designed to test the implementation, deployment and/or migration recommendations resulting from a Design offering in a limited-scope production environment

Small-scale deployment of a smart technology solution in the final customer's environment. A pilot application allows issuers to determine whether the solution meets specific requirements.

Release strategy in which a module is put into production in a limited and very controlled environment; usually involves people, hardware, and software working together with the express intent of using the pilot period to learn what works and what does not work. A pilot is usually run for a specific period of time; the results are documented and used as input to finalize the module before a larger deployment.