Il pilota controlla l'aereo.

Because the definite article changes depending on the sound that follows.

• il is used before most masculine singular nouns beginning with a consonant:
  il pilota
• lo is used before certain masculine singular nouns beginning with s + consonant, z, ps, gn, etc.
• l' is used before singular nouns that begin with a vowel:
  l'aereo

So aereo starts with a vowel, and lo aereo becomes l'aereo.

The apostrophe shows elision: a vowel has been dropped.

• Full form: lo aereo
• Contracted form: l'aereo

Italian often drops the final vowel of an article before a word beginning with a vowel to make pronunciation smoother.

Controlla usually means checks, inspects, or examines in many contexts. Depending on context, it can also mean controls.

So in this sentence, it could mean:

• The pilot checks the airplane
• The pilot controls the airplane

In everyday Italian, controllare often means to check. English speakers sometimes assume it always means to control, but that is not always the best translation.

Controlla is:

• third person singular
• present tense
• from the infinitive controllare

So it means:

• he/she checks
• he/she is checking
  depending on context

Italian present tense can cover both the simple present and the present progressive in English.

Italian often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• controllo = I check
• controlli = you check
• controlla = he/she checks

Since controlla already tells you it is he/she/it, Italian normally does not need a separate pronoun.

Here, the noun il pilota is the subject, so there is even less need for a pronoun.

Yes. Pilota is a masculine noun in this sentence: il pilota.

This is one of those nouns that can be tricky for English speakers, because many Italian nouns ending in -a are feminine, but not all of them are.

For a male pilot:

• il pilota

For a female pilot, you can also say:

• la pilota

So pilota can refer to either a man or a woman; the article usually shows the gender.

They are:

• il pilota → i piloti
• l'aereo → gli aerei

So:

• I piloti controllano gli aerei = The pilots check the airplanes

Notice:

• pilota changes to piloti
• aereo changes to aerei
• the verb also changes: controlla → controllano

In normal Italian, articles are used much more regularly than in English.

So if you mean the pilot and the airplane, you normally say:

• Il pilota controlla l'aereo.

Without the articles, the sentence would sound unnatural in standard Italian.

Yes, but Il pilota controlla l'aereo is the most neutral and natural order.

This is the basic pattern:

• subject + verb + object

Italian can change word order for emphasis, but beginners should learn this standard order first.

For example, moving words around may sound marked or literary unless there is a special reason.

A simple guide is:

• il ≈ eel
• pilota ≈ pee-LO-ta
• controlla ≈ con-TROL-la
• l'aereo ≈ LA-e-re-o or LAI-re-o depending on how carefully it is pronounced

A few useful notes:

• The stress in pilota is on LO
• The stress in controlla is on TROL
• aereo has several vowels in a row, so learners often need to slow down at first

Usually yes: il pilota most naturally means the pilot, referring to a specific pilot or to a pilot understood from context.

However, in some contexts Italian can use the definite article in a more general sense too. Still, in a simple sentence like this, the most natural reading is the pilot.

Yes. Italian present tense often covers both meanings.

So Il pilota controlla l'aereo can mean:

• The pilot checks the airplane
• The pilot is checking the airplane

If Italian wants to emphasize the ongoing action, it can also use a progressive form:

• Il pilota sta controllando l'aereo
  = The pilot is checking the airplane

But the simple present alone is often enough.