[@Stitches] Not everyone is a new pilot- I think left the number of new pilots joining kind of vague. You can be a longstanding member of the 7th, or someone being transferred from another unit to the 7th, or a brand spanking new pilot. If you're a longstanding pilot, you're probably hanging out with the Ingram and the others, or doing your own thing on board the ship. In this case, Aleksanderin and Abigail are more likely than not veteran members of the 7th Squadron. The shuttle serves as a convenient start point for pilots that are new to the squadron- such as our resident test pilot being cleared for field testing.

As far as 'Orientation' goes, it is merely [i]plot device[sup]tm[/sup][/i] for getting everyone in the same room.