Getting Your Ship Out of the Hangar
Use an ASOP terminal to retrieve your ship, power it up, get clearance from ATC and fly out safely.
1. Find an ASOP terminal
Ships are managed at ASOP terminals (also called fleet manager terminals). You'll find them in the spaceport's hangar area, inside personal hangars, and in station hangar lobbies. Walk up and press F to use it. You'll see your ships, where they are stored and their status.
2. Retrieve your ship
Select the ship and choose Retrieve . Only ships stored at your current location can be retrieved there; others show their location (you can pay for delivery in some cases). A message tells you which hangar or pad the ship has been sent to. At your home location it usually goes to your personal hangar . If the ship is too big for it, you get a public hangar instead.
3. Go to your hangar
Use the hangar elevators near the ASOP terminals. Select the hangar or pad number you were given and ride down. If you're already in your personal hangar, the ship appears there; give it a few seconds to load in.
4. Board the ship
Walk to the ship and look for the entry: a ramp, ladder, elevator or door. Hold F to see options such as Open or Lower ramp . Inside, find the pilot seat and use F on it to sit. Press and hold Y to get up again.
5. Power on: Flight Ready
Once seated, press Right Alt + R for Flight Ready . The ship powers up its systems and engines; this can take several seconds. Look at your MFDs (the multi-function displays in the cockpit): they show power, shields, weapons, fuel and more.
6. Ask ATC for clearance
Hangars and spaceports have Air Traffic Control (ATC) . Press Left Alt + N to request takeoff. The hangar doors or elevator platform will open once you're cleared. You can also call ATC through the Commlink app ( F11 ) if the keybind doesn't respond.
7. Lift off and raise the gear
Add vertical thrust with Space (strafe up), then move forward gently with W . Steer with the mouse. Once clear of the hangar, press N to retract your landing gear . Fly slowly near structures; other ships are also coming and going.
8. Leave the armistice zone safely
Cities and stations are armistice zones : weapons are locked and speed rules apply. Spaceports also have no-fly areas ; follow the ATC route markers away from buildings. Your HUD tells you when you leave the armistice zone. From that point other players can shoot at you, so stay alert.