Pilot Logs: Filip Cruz

[Felsvar]

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- Pilot Logs: Filip Cruz
>>> Recording . . .


"Hope this is recording. Wasn't looking forward to doing this stuff. Uhm, I should start by saying my name, don't I? My name is Filip Cruz, with an F. Born and raised on the Planet Erie. I used to work as a maintenance guy on a transport for a small company that hauls cargo within the system. Was hired in my 18th year after getting my high school diploma. Was great for the time being. The income of credits was great. But I want to go further, past the Jump gate that I always used to see through the windows when flying near it. This Trade Company seems not to do any kind of exports outside of the System and couldn't afford the bigger haulers that I used to see flying by. They kept the trade routes small and tight.

Got bored after a few years of repetitive travels - nothing new and exciting to experience. Same old routes. So, I decided to learn how to fly and pilot a ship. At the time, I lived with my Uncle and Aunt - my mother handed me to her brother who adopted me as his own as she was not financially stable to take care of me. After I was four years old, she disappeared from my life. And my dad, well, God knows where he is. My Uncle, Goerge Cruz, was a retiree after flying for many years with the Zoners escorting transports on an Osprey Class. He showed me pictures of his fighter and explained that it was blown out of space right after he had to eject it from the cockpit. Not the best experience when things go out of hand and have to eject, he says. He shared with me many stories and experiences that he had gone through and managed to retire alive, thankfully. That being said, I asked my Uncle to teach me and give me flight lessons so I could have my own experiences to share. The old guy gave me a smile and said, 'It's in your blood, boi - to fly!' It seemed he was waiting for this moment with the look on his face. Uncle Goerge quickly and I flew on a civilian craft to a Ship Hangar a few clicks out from home. He said he had something here to show me in the hangar after we landed. After some checkouts at the front desk, the staff welcomed him and gave him his Access Key to a ship.


We came to the hangar entrance and the first ship that I saw was his Civilian Freighter, Kestrel Ship class. Not the best-looking ship I would say, but it was something to look at. The freighter was given to him after his Osprey was knocked out, he stated to me. As I walked around the ship and gazed at the details of it, he asked me if I wanted to see inside. Of course I said yeh, but I mean, I have been inside bigger ships. Just not on the bridge or cockpit. I always worked on the Cargo hold making sure everything was well and secured. Either way, I saw that he placed his hand on a panel that scanned his handprint. The panel was connected to the ship remotely and the cargo doors were opened. I stepped inside and it was a large empty interior space waiting to be loaded with cargo. He used to haul cargo for a few years after he ended his escorting career, he mentioned as he approached me, "Let's go to the cockpit", he excitedly expressed. The cockpit seemed small as I examined it, but so many instruments on it to grasp an understanding of and how to operate them. My Uncle did not waste time, 'Your first lesson starts today.' I was excited, yet nervous when he stated that. It was not straight-to-flight lessons. He handed me a pad with an application inside it. The application was a course that he used to teach to other escort pilots. I forgot to mention earlier, yeh, he was a Flight instructor. Damn, I didn't ask for this much. Throughout the years, I had to learn lift-offs, vertical landings, aerodynamics, performance maneuvers, fuel conservation, dog fighting... and many other stuff. Uncle took it seriously when I asked him to train me to fly. Not only in the atmosphere but space was a whole new level, too! I didn't ask for fighting lessons, but Uncle did say it might come in handy if I remember. I will not explain the details of what I went through with my uncle while learning, but some areas were complicated to grasp. Written exams were fine, but the flight lessons were tough. I managed to pass after a few failed attempts. Three years and nine months. Should have joined the Navy instead. But I am grateful for his time to teach me his ways of flying. Uncle Goerge approved my flying, certified me, and handed me my license after I was registered on the Sirius Network Database as a Licensed Pilot. Guess it is for proving I earned my wings.

As a completion award for getting my License to fly, he handed me his ship's Access Key to fly the Kestrel. I knew the Kestrel inside out and its do's and don'ts. So it was nothing new as it was my training craft. I gave him my thanks, cause after I got my license, getting a ship was another issue coming up. Not many got this blessing, but I am thankful for his gesture.

A week after, I should say, I registered the Kestrel to haul goods and other cargo stuff. Upon filling out the application, it asked for a 'call sign' for the ship. Many names pass through my thoughts, but nothing meaningful for me. So, I named her after my mother's name, Desna, and added Star after it, 'Desna Star'. Don't know much of her, but naming the ship after her will keep her in my thoughts. Might be a bit cringy, but it fits for me.

Nevertheless, after registering the ship, I acquired a Courier Contract with a Public Shipping and Hauling Agency on PlanetSide. One-way transportation of Oxygen Tanks to Planet Manhattan, New York. Not far and an easy task, I should say. Two hundred fifty thousand credits is the reward when completed. The cargo size requirements were proper for the Desna Star cargo hold. So, I took the offer and accepted it without hesitation. This is my ticket to fly out from the System to a whole new world! Quickly returned back to the Kestrel and flew her off to the Courier pick-up location.

Upon arriving at the location, a beacon was alerted on the flight panel alerting me of the landing platform to land on. It seemed when I accepted the contract the Desna Star registration code was picked up remotely and gave me a flight path. Closing into the platform, I descended steadily, and looking ahead, four automated Forklifts were on stand-by with shrunk-wrapped large crates waiting for my arrival. Keeping the Desna Star's engines running, I opened the cargo ramp, and one by one, the forklifts laid the crates inside the cargo hold. I accounted for the crates and made sure it was the right cargo before taking off - the same procedure when I was working with the company I used to work for. After acknowledging the cargo, I closed the cargo ramp and settled myself in the cockpit to prepare for lift-off. I felt a small difference in maneuvering the ship from the landing platform. As I lifted off, I activated the inertial stabilizers to assist in the heavy lifting. The maneuverability was much better when those stabilizers kicked in.

Now here am I, recording a little bit of my past, my way of getting my first ship and first hauling journey. I am about to enter the first trade lane after waiting a while for traffic to clear and get the clearance to enter the Lane. So far everything is running normally and clear skies ahead, hopefully.

Hmm... why do we record these logs again? Eh, guess it is for the sake of it.

This is Filip Cruz, ending Pilots Log."