Why is it called a "pilot light"?

[Axtman]

To me a "pilot light" is a small flame (like on a gas water heater) that helps with ignition. I refer to the "On/Off" light as an "Indicator Light".

[Helmholtz]

Maybe you mean pilot lamp?

[eschertron]

I convinced myself that PL originally was an abbreviation for "panel lamp", from way back in the golden days of relays and cam sequencers. I catch myself calling them pilots lights more often than not, although I guess the word 'pilot' can have the definition of an indicator function?

[nickb]

I call it a power indicator or power lamp. Never a pilot light.

[glebert]

Why is the flame on a water heater called a pilot light? It doesn't fly, or act as a guide. Things are given names that make no sense.

Fun fact: the term "sky pilot" predates human flight and was used for preachers or missionaries because they would guide you to heaven, or something.

[g1]

Why is the flame on a water heater called a pilot light? It doesn't fly, or act as a guide. Things are given names that make no sense.

One of the definitions for pilot is 'representative form or pattern', so in that makes a bit more sense for the flame, serving to light the bigger flame. Had to dig a bit for that one, new usage for me. I guess 'pilot episode' for tv is similar, had never thought about that one either.

[galaxiex]

pilot lamp

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noun

an electric lamp, used in association with a control, which by means of position or color indicates the functioning of the control; an indicator light or a control light.

[SoulFetish]

I'm just glad you guys are finally confronting this issue head on

[Enzo]

I have been electronicing for 65 years or so, and it has always been "pilot light" to me.

I am as guilty as anyone of calling lamps "bulbs." But what we call a bulb is a "lamp". The fixture with a bulb in it is a light. On the panel of an amplifier, the pilot lamp is inside the pilot light.

"Bulb"? That is the glass part of a lamp.

[J M Fahey]

Here it´s "lámpara piloto", literally "pilot lamp" since forever.
An "indicator" is a needle pointing at something significative, say a clock hand, or a ship relay panel.

Which is not a coil pulling contacts by any means but:

[nickb]

pilot lamp

---

noun

an electric lamp, used in association with a control, which by means of position or color indicates the functioning of the control; an indicator light or a control light.

So the channel, crunch, and reverb lights are ALL pilot lights. That'll simplify things

[J M Fahey]

True.

[eschertron]

And of course we all know that a "relay" is not a coil and contacts, but as a verb - the act of getting something somewhere else - and as a noun - the thing that gets something somewhere else - like a relay race.

Which fits the shipboard context perfectly:
captain "ahead full"
helm "ahead full, aye" - pulls the relay control to ahead full
the relay in the engine room indicates ahead full, the bell dings.
the engineer shouts "ahead full!" (engine room very noisy)
the boiler tech/engineman/reactor operator shouts back "ahead full, aye" - pulls lever/turns knob/moves slider
the equipment responds.

and then the message returns via the same relays from the engine room to the captain "all ahead full"

relay races for everybody!!

[Enzo]

And "clams". used to just mean seafood, but... "I had to pay the guy a hundred clams."