0 a person who flies a fighter plane (= a small, fast military aircraft used for chasing and destroying enemy aircraft):
As a fighter pilot in World War II, he logged more flight hours than his peers and always sought the toughest assignments.
Tim Vigors, who has died aged 82, served as a fighter pilot in the Battle of Britain.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black fighter pilots to serve in the US Army.
"As fighter pilots, we're taught from Day One to follow orders," he says.
A fighter pilot and his colleague were killed when their military aircraft crashed as they practised aero stunts.
