pilot
noun
a person duly qualified to steer ships into or out of a harbor or through certain difficult waters.
had been piloting
-
past perfect progressiveof pilot.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On July 17, 2015, James Anderberg had been piloting a Spirit Airlines flight from Chicago to Minneapolis and back, with plans to then go to Boston.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
Rolf Lanzendorfer, 64, had been piloting commercial floatplanes for more than 40 years, largely in British Columbia, Chelan, Alaska and the Seattle area.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 8, 2021
A 22-year-old woman had been piloting the plane over Jamaica, Queens, with her instructor when a 60-foot Tom Cat floated into view “like a sea serpent out of its native element,” The Times reported.
From New York Times ● Nov. 22, 2017
Brown had been piloting the plane when police say it hit the ground nose first and caught fire, damaging several RVs and vehicles.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 2, 2016
I was a mere boy when I knew you on the river, where you had been piloting for 35 years, and now you are only a year and a half older than I am!
From Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 4 (1886-1900) by Albert Bigelow Paine
