Pilotage

Pilotage is navigation by means of fixed visual references on the ground. The term pilot refers to a person who is piloting and was originally used to describe navigators that would help steer ships into harbours (today known as a harbour pilot), although today it is more commonly used to refer to anyone who flies an aircraft.

During the day, lighthouses, airports, cities, lakes, highways, and mountains provide good visual references. At night, lighthouses, airports (if they have lighting), cities, and lighted obstructions (antennas, buildings) are frequently used.

Pilotage is frequently combined with dead reckoning. A pilot at one visual reference point who does not see the next one uses dead reckoning to get closer to the next reference point. This is the most common form of VFR navigation.