English Translation
Tom is a pilot.
Tom is a man? Why is it feminine?
It’s actually a masculine noun, even though it may look feminine.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pilote#French
In a sentence like this, it doesn’t really matter. However, when referring to the female pilot, would you say “la pilote” or maybe “la femme pilote”?
Nobody seems to agree, not native speakers, not even linguists…
I think that for some people, it has more to do with politics than linguistics.
I’d say, don’t overthink it:
Marie est pilote.
Marie est un pilote exceptionnel.
Marie est une femme pilote.
Marie est une pilote exceptionnelle.
One more 
Chaque équipe sera composée d’un pilote femme et d’un pilote homme.
I think they’re all fine, especially here, because “pilote” ends in “e”.
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