Aircraft pilot
Flight control of an aircraft is exercised by the pilot via the use of its directional flight controls, which he or she calls an aircraft pilot or an aviator. Some other members of aircrew, like as navigators or flight engineers, are also called aviators since they are engaged in the operation of the aircraft's navigation and engine systems, among other things. Other members of a aircrew, including such drone operators, flight attendants, mechanics, and ground crew, are not considered to be aviators under the FAA classification system.
Most military and many airlines across the globe offer aviator badges to their pilots as a mark of respect for their credentials and obligations as aircrew members.
The first known usage of the word aviator (aviateur in French) was in 1887, as a variant of the term "aviation," which was invented in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne as a version of the Latin avis (meaning bird), was in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne ("Aviation or Air Navigation"). The name aviatrix (aviatrice in French) was formerly used to refer to a female pilot, but it is now considered antiquated. It was during the early days of aviation, when aircraft were exceedingly scarce, that these expressions were more often used and connoted daring and adventure. The Wright brothers' first aeroplane, for example, was described as follows in a 1905 reference work: "The weight of the aircraft, including the pilot's body, is somewhat more than 700 pounds."
As early aviation evolved, it became necessary for aircraft to be under the operational direction of a fully qualified and certified pilot at all times, who was responsible for the safe and legal completion of the flight. This need continued till the present day. It was Louis Blériot, who received the first certificate from the Aéro-Club de France in 1908, and he was followed by Glenn Curtiss, Léon Delagrange, and Robert Esnault-Pelterie. The Royal Aero Club of the United Kingdom followed in 1910, and the Aero Club of America followed in 1911. (Glenn Curtiss receiving the first).