How do commercial pilots line up large aircraft perfectly when parking at a gate without seing landing gear?

Question

How do commercial pilots line up large aircraft perfectly when parking at a gate without seing landing gear?

Answer 1

They don't the gate is on wheels and they move the gate to the aircraft.

Oh and there are people on the ground telling them what to do.

Answer 2

They have people on the ground to help them (called ramp rats) and they also have what they call lead in lines painted on the ground. The people have wands (flashlights with orange cones on the tips) and when they want the guy to come straight they point them both up over their heads. If he wants the pilot to turn in a specific direction he points the wand to that side....so right arm out and pointing right if he wants the aircraft to turn in that  direction while the other wand is still over his head and pointing straight up.

The gate people will swing a marker out at the front windscreen height and the pilot taxis the aircraft up until the windshield just touches the marker. Same as some people do with a tennis ball (or similiar) in their garage at home so the wife doesn't drive through the front wall....LOL!

Answer 3

There are people guiding them on the ground.

Answer 4

Mostly good answers from the group......I might add the optical lighting feature present at most larger terminal's gates.........when the nose wheel is off center of the painted line, the optical lighting splits into 2 separate vertical bars...the pilot turns left or right, to re-center the lights, and that will put him on center line.  Also, some lights are installed horizontally to let the pilot know when he has reached the stopping point.

Answer 5

there also often lines or a cross mark (lighted for night) on the terminal building at the pilot's eye level to help guide them in.

Answer 6

The ground crew directs their taxi and stop.