Pilot shows discernment and hard skill (7)
I believe the answer is:
earhart
'pilot' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are singular nouns.
Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?
'discernment and hard skill' is the wordplay.
'discernment' becomes 'ear' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'hard' becomes 'h' (abbreviation used in pencil classifications).
'skill' becomes 'art' (both can mean a talent).
'ear'+'h'+'art'='EARHART'
'shows' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for earhart that I've seen before include "Flying ace" , "they failed to find her" , "Amelia ....... was American flying pioneer" , "high-flier" , "Amelia --, air pioneer" .)