Your First Flight

New Player Guide

Your First Flight

This is the moment.

You have chosen a starter ship, spawned into the ‘verse, found your hangar, learned the MobiGlas, bought basic gear, and equipped yourself properly.

Now it is time to fly.

Your first flight in Star Citizen can be exciting, confusing, and mildly terrifying. The ship has buttons. The hangar has doors. The controls are not quite like every other game. There is a very real chance you will bounce off something expensive.

That is fine.

Everyone has a first takeoff.

Some are graceful.

Some are educational.

This guide will walk you through the basics of retrieving your ship, getting into the pilot seat, powering on, calling ATC, taking off, flying safely, switching flight modes, and leaving atmosphere.

The goal is not to make you an ace pilot.

The goal is to get you out of the hangar without becoming a warning label.

Before You Retrieve Your Ship

Before calling your ship, make sure you are ready to leave.

Do a quick check:

  • Are you wearing a helmet?
  • Do you have basic armour?
  • Do you have food and drink?
  • Do you have med pens?
  • Do you have a multi-tool?
  • Do you have any mission gear you need?
  • Do you know where your hangar elevator is?
  • Are you mentally prepared to discover how close the hangar wall is?

You do not need to be perfectly prepared.

But you should avoid leaving with nothing except a hospital gown, a dream, and no idea how to get back.

Retrieving Your Ship

To access your ship, use the Fleet Manager terminal.

The basic process is:

  1. Find the Fleet Manager or hangar services terminal
  2. Select your ship
  3. Deliver it if required
  4. Retrieve it
  5. Note the assigned hangar
  6. Take the elevator to that hangar
  7. Wait for the ship to appear

If you are at your home location, your ship may appear in your persistent home hangar.

If you are at a station or another city, the terminal may assign you a temporary hangar or pad.

Read the terminal carefully.

Do not just mash buttons and hope the ship appears somewhere emotionally convenient.

Wait for the Ship to Fully Arrive

When your ship is retrieved, the hangar floor or platform may move.

This can include:

  • The floor opening
  • A platform lowering
  • A ship rising into place
  • Warning lights
  • Holographic barriers
  • Loud mechanical drama

Do not walk into the open floor.

Do not stand on the moving platform.

Do not test whether the game has occupational health and safety standards.

Wait until the ship has fully arrived and the area is safe.

Your first flight should not end before you reach the cockpit.

That would be efficient, but sad.

Walking Around Your Ship

Before boarding, take a moment to look around your ship.

Many ships have external interaction points, such as:

  • Entry doors
  • Cargo access
  • Component panels
  • Storage compartments
  • Refuelling ports
  • Weapon racks
  • Engineering panels
  • Exterior buttons

You do not need to understand every panel yet.

But it is useful to learn where the entrance is, where cargo goes, and whether your ship has external storage or component access.

Some ships are simple.

Some ships are little puzzle boxes with engines.

Your starter ship is your first home in the ‘verse.

Get to know it.

Boarding Your Ship

Look for the ship entrance.

This might be:

  • A ladder
  • A ramp
  • A side door
  • A rear door
  • A cockpit canopy
  • A small hatch
  • A button or interaction prompt

Approach the entry point and interact with it.

The main interaction key is usually:

F

Depending on the ship, you may need to:

  • Open the door
  • Climb a ladder
  • Enter the cockpit directly
  • Walk through the interior
  • Sit in the pilot seat

Once inside, take your time.

Do not panic-click every glowing thing.

That is how you eject, power down, or open a door at an inconvenient time.

Sitting in the Pilot Seat

Find the pilot seat and interact with it.

Once seated, your view will change and your ship’s cockpit interface will appear.

You may see screens, displays, and ship systems such as:

  • Power status
  • Shields
  • Weapons
  • Speed
  • Altitude
  • Fuel
  • Landing gear
  • Flight mode
  • Targeting
  • Radar
  • Diagnostics
  • Power management

This can look overwhelming.

You do not need to understand all of it immediately.

For your first flight, focus on:

  • Power
  • Engines
  • Flight mode
  • Speed
  • Landing gear
  • ATC
  • Where the hangar door is
  • Not hitting the hangar door

That last one is important.

Powering On

To power on your ship, the common default key is:

U

This powers up the ship.

Some ships may also have cockpit buttons you can interact with manually, but the hotkey is usually faster.

Once powered on, your displays should come alive.

Depending on the ship and patch, engines may power on automatically or separately.

Engines On and Off

The common default key for toggling engines is:

I

If your ship has power but does not move, check whether the engines are on.

This catches new players constantly.

Simple version:

  • U powers the ship
  • I toggles engines

If you are sitting in a fully powered ship wondering why it refuses to move, the answer may be engines.

Or landing gear.

Or ATC.

Or the game.

But check engines first.

Understanding Your Cockpit Displays

Most ships have cockpit displays called MFDs.

These may show things like:

  • Power
  • Shields
  • Weapons
  • Thrusters
  • Fuel
  • Heat
  • Damage
  • Diagnostics
  • Target status
  • Communications

You can usually interact with these displays by holding your interaction key and selecting options.

As a beginner, do not get lost in the screens yet.

The important thing is knowing that these displays exist and that later you can use them to manage ship systems.

For now, your first job is very simple:

Turn ship on. Open doors. Leave carefully.

A noble mission.

Calling ATC

Before leaving a hangar or landing at one, you usually need to contact Air Traffic Control, often shortened to ATC.

ATC opens hangar doors and assigns landing areas.

The common shortcut is:

Left Alt + N

Depending on your keybinds, you may have this set differently.

You can also contact ATC through ship or MobiGlas communication systems, depending on the current interface.

If your hangar doors are not opening, you probably have not contacted ATC.

So before you panic:

  1. Sit in the pilot seat
  2. Power on
  3. Contact ATC
  4. Wait for the doors to open

If the doors still do not open, then you may panic politely.

Do Not Rush the Takeoff

Once the hangar doors open, take your time.

This is where many new players make their first expensive mistake.

Do not boost.

Do not slam forward.

Do not treat the hangar like a launch tube unless it is actually meant to be one.

Lift slowly.

Move carefully.

Make small inputs.

The hangar is close, your ship is fragile, and the walls are undefeated.

Basic Flight Controls

Default keybinds can vary, especially if you have changed them, but common keyboard and mouse controls include:

W = Strafe forward
S = Strafe backward
A = Strafe left
D = Strafe right
Space = Strafe up
Left Ctrl = Strafe down
Q = Roll left
E = Roll right
Mouse = Pitch and yaw
Shift = Boost
N = Landing gear
B = Switch flight mode / quantum-related mode

These controls may feel unusual at first.

Star Citizen uses six degrees of movement, which means your ship can move forward, backward, left, right, up, down, and rotate.

This gives you a lot of control.

It also gives you many ways to hit things.

Practise gently.

Taking Off

To take off from the hangar:

  1. Power on the ship
  2. Turn engines on
  3. Contact ATC
  4. Wait for the hangar doors to open
  5. Use Space to strafe upward
  6. Keep movements slow
  7. Use small mouse movements to point the ship
  8. Carefully fly out of the hangar
  9. Stay calm if you scrape something
  10. Once clear, continue climbing away from the city or station

For your first takeoff, slow is good.

Clean is better than fast.

Surviving is better than stylish.

Although stylish surviving is obviously ideal.

Landing Gear

Landing gear controls whether your ship is configured for landing or normal flight.

The common default key is:

N

When landing gear is down, your ship may limit speed and behave in a safer way near landing zones.

When landing gear is up, your ship can usually fly faster.

Beginner advice:

  • Keep landing gear down while leaving or entering a hangar
  • Raise landing gear once safely clear
  • Lower landing gear before landing
  • Do not panic-toggle it repeatedly while screaming

Your ship will usually show landing gear status on the HUD.

Learn what that indicator looks like.

It will save you confusion later.

Flying Near Cities and Stations

When flying near structures, go slow.

Cities, stations, hangars, and landing pads are not the place for speed experiments.

Near structures:

  • Stay in control
  • Avoid boosting
  • Watch your speed
  • Keep landing gear down if close to landing areas
  • Use small adjustments
  • Be aware of vertical movement
  • Do not fly directly at doors faster than you can stop

The most dangerous object in Star Citizen is not always an enemy.

Sometimes it is a wall you underestimated.

SCM Mode

SCM is the slower, combat-ready flight mode.

In SCM, your ship is generally configured for:

  • Weapons
  • Shields
  • Combat manoeuvring
  • Lower speeds
  • More controlled movement

Use SCM when:

  • Near stations
  • Near hangars
  • Landing
  • Taking off
  • Fighting
  • Moving carefully around objects

SCM is your safer mode for close manoeuvring.

If you are new and near anything solid, SCM is your friend.

NAV Mode

NAV mode is used for faster travel and quantum navigation.

In NAV mode, your ship can travel faster, but combat capability and handling may differ depending on the current flight model.

Use NAV mode when:

  • Travelling longer distances
  • Leaving atmosphere
  • Flying in open space
  • Preparing for quantum travel
  • Moving between locations

Do not use NAV mode to scream through a hangar like a possessed trolley.

NAV is for travel.

SCM is for control.

Your future insurance claim depends on knowing the difference.

Switching Flight Modes

A common key related to switching flight or quantum modes is:

B

Depending on the current patch and keybinds, tapping or holding this key may behave differently.

If you are trying to use quantum travel later, you will need to understand NAV mode and quantum systems.

For now, just understand the basics:

  • SCM = slower and controlled
  • NAV = faster travel mode

When in doubt near structures, use SCM.

Boost

Boost gives your ship extra acceleration.

The common key is:

Shift

Boost is useful, but dangerous for new players.

Use boost when:

  • Climbing out of atmosphere
  • Escaping danger
  • Accelerating in open space
  • You have room to recover

Do not use boost:

  • Inside hangars
  • While landing
  • Near station geometry
  • While pointed at a wall
  • When you do not know where your nose is facing

Boost turns small mistakes into large ones.

Respect the spicy button.

Leaving Atmosphere

If you start on a planet, you will need to climb out of atmosphere before quantum travel becomes available.

To leave atmosphere:

  1. Fly upward away from the city
  2. Switch to NAV mode when appropriate
  3. Point your nose upward
  4. Use boost carefully if you have clear space
  5. Watch your altitude
  6. Continue climbing until quantum travel becomes available

The altitude needed to leave atmosphere depends on the planet or moon.

Around major planets, this may take a little time.

Be patient.

Point up.

Try not to fly sideways into a skyscraper.

Using Third-Person View

Third-person view can help you understand where your ship is relative to the hangar, landing pad, or terrain.

A common key is:

F4

You may be able to hold another key, such as Z, to move the camera.

Third-person view is useful for:

  • Checking clearance
  • Looking around the ship
  • Taking screenshots
  • Understanding landing position
  • Seeing whether your ship is about to clip something expensive

Do not rely on it completely, but use it when helpful.

Sometimes seeing the outside of your ship makes everything make more sense.

Sometimes it just lets you watch the crash from a better angle.

Both are educational.

Practise Before Taking a Mission

Before accepting a serious mission, practise flying.

Try:

  • Lifting off
  • Strafing left and right
  • Strafing up and down
  • Rolling
  • Flying forward slowly
  • Stopping
  • Turning around
  • Raising and lowering landing gear
  • Switching between SCM and NAV
  • Returning to a station or city
  • Landing carefully

You do not need to master everything.

But spend a few minutes getting comfortable.

A mission is much easier when you are not learning every control under pressure.

Common First Flight Mistakes

Forgetting to Call ATC

If the hangar doors will not open, contact ATC.

Do not just fly into the closed doors and hope they respect your ambition.

They will not.

Engines Are Off

If the ship powers on but does not move, check engines.

Power and engines are not always the same thing.

Boosting Inside the Hangar

Do not.

Just do not.

The hangar is not a racetrack.

Flying Too Fast Near Structures

Speed is fun.

Repair bills are less fun.

Go slow near hangars, stations, cities, and landing pads.

Forgetting Landing Gear

Raise it once safely away.

Lower it before landing.

If your ship feels strangely slow, check whether the landing gear is still down.

Switching to NAV Too Early

NAV mode is useful for travel, but it is not ideal for tight spaces.

Use SCM near structures.

Panicking After a Scrape

If you bump something, do not panic.

Stop.

Stabilise.

Check your ship.

Continue slowly.

Many first flights include a scrape, bounce, or deeply personal interaction with a wall.

It happens.

What If You Crash?

If you crash, welcome to Star Citizen.

Depending on what happened, you may:

  • Damage your ship
  • Lose a wing
  • Explode
  • Die
  • Wake up in a medical bed
  • Need to claim your ship
  • Need to buy new gear
  • Need to pretend it was lag

Crashing is part of learning.

If you survive, land and repair.

If you die, respawn and claim the ship.

If anyone saw it, say “server desync” with confidence.

That is tradition.

SCANZ Recommendation

For your first flight, do not immediately take a mission.

Instead:

  1. Retrieve your ship
  2. Board it
  3. Power on
  4. Contact ATC
  5. Take off slowly
  6. Fly around your starting area
  7. Practise basic movement
  8. Leave atmosphere
  9. Return to a station or city
  10. Attempt a careful landing

Once you can take off, fly, and land without too much drama, then start taking contracts.

You do not need to be perfect.

You just need to be able to leave and return without turning every trip into an insurance claim.

Final Advice

Your first flight is a big step.

It is also probably going to be messy.

That is okay.

Star Citizen flight takes practice. The controls, modes, speeds, landing gear, hangars, and ship behaviour all take time to feel natural.

Start slow.

Use SCM near structures.

Call ATC.

Watch your speed.

Do not boost indoors.

Keep landing gear down when close to landing areas.

And remember: the first successful takeoff feels great, but the first successful landing feels even better.

Anyone can leave a hangar.

Getting back in one piece is where the real citizen arc begins.

Next Guide

Next: Quantum Travel and Landing