: How does a pilot know where the airport is when he is flying to a particular destination for the first time in his life?
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Pilots must purchase detailed navigational maps, called sectionals. These will not only help them find an airport, but will also have navigational aids (mountain peaks, radio towers, etc). These days these are typically electronic rather than on paper and are integrated with GPS, but previously this had to be done by “dead reckoning” — estimating your position based on speed, time traveled, and direction of travel.
In fair weather, small aircraft taking off or landing from small airports generally need to navigate on their own. However planes both large and small flying from a larger airport can file a flight plan, and they will receive “vectors” over the radio from an air traffic controller. A vector is basically “fly this direction at this altitude” and that will get them to their destination.
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