Pilots

Those who fly pegasi (both men and women) are called “pilots”. A person is known as a pilot by a bright blue scarf, which is the universally accepted sign of being "full-fledged," or completely trained as a pilot. Pilots herd other creatures and carry goods/messages across the chasms. As the only people who can consistently and safely cross the chasms, pilots are at the center of most of the trade between the islands. It's considered a dangerous job, and most pilots pride themselves on being rough, wild, daring, and highly skilled.

Pilots hold many positions: traders, merchants, herders, craftsmen, performers, athletes, ranchmen, lawmen, rescue personnel, mail carriers, and messengers, among others. There is no limit or standard to what a pilot can do for a living. As long as someone out there is willing to pay for the service, a pilot can (and probably has) done it.

A group of pilots that join together for a job or occasion are usually called a posse. If that group is together on a long-term basis, know each other well and have trained together, they may be called a squad or faction instead. The difference between a posse and a squad is (generally) the amount of respect or prestige attached to the name, A squad may have their own Mark. A posse probably will not.

### Training

Fledgling pilots are traditionally trained by one person. They start by riding pegasi on the ground, then gradually move on to short flights, then longer flights accompanied by the trainer. Upon completing their Trial Flight, a fledgling pilot receives their Trainer's Mark and their blue pilot's scarf. The tradition on when and how a fledgling receives their pilot's scarf (during or after training, blank or with a Mark embroidered on it already) varies from island to island, but it is generally accepted that if you see someone flying a pegasus with no blue scarf about their neck, it means they're inexperienced and probably untrustworthy in the air.

### The Blue Scarf

Blue is the color of a pilot. Each and every pilot carries/wears a blue scarf. Much like a trainer’s Mark, if you don’t have a blue scarf, you aren’t taken seriously as a pilot.

Each pilot takes a Trial Flight at the end of their training: a challenging solo flight from one predetermined point to another. During this flight, the fledgling pilot wears a blue sash. The goal is to get from point A to point B, and tie the sash to a fence at point B. If a pilot does this, they are presented with a piece of cut out of the sash, and their trainer’s mark. They are now fully Fledged.

> *If everything went according to plan, today would be a landmark day. A turning point. Her very first solo flight. Her Trial Flight. Not only that, but it was her first solo flight with her very own pegasus: it was his Proving Flight. He was a red dun broadwing, only 7 years old, and almost as nervous as she was, sidling back and forth as she finished settling the saddle on his back. Sanna had helped her mother raise him from a foal, backed him, and flown him. Before, though, there had always been the safety of the family meadow below. This was new and big and... well, big.*
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> *Sanna took a deep breath and led her dancing peg nearer to the ledge. This was the very edge of the home meadow, and below was a steep drop into the valley. The trees below were so far away they almost looked like dark, spiky grass. It wouldn't be hard, she told herself, stepping up onto a stump and flinging herself into the saddle. Down and across the valley, over the river to the aviary, tie her sash to the fence. Easy as pie. Then she'd get her pilot's scarf and her training Mark. She'd be a real pilot then. Full-fledged.*
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> *- Excerpt from Solo Flight*
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The sashes that are tied to fences, trees, or other important landmarks are left there permanently. Areas that train many pilots may have hundreds of sashes, which serve as excellent advertisement for the trainers that live there. Removing a pilot's sash from the designated graduation point is considered bad luck, in addition to being incredibly rude. Whether this bad luck applies to the pilot whose scarf was removed or the jerk that did the removing varies by island and locale.

### Riders

Riders are people who ride pegasi, but do not fly them. They tend to ride shortwings, or broadwings/longwings that cannot fly. Riders **only** ride pegasi that have no way to get fully airborne. Its generally accepted that a pegasus that can fly, *will* fly, no matter the skill of the pilot/rider. So riders seek pegasi that either cannot fly naturally, or have been injured and cannot get airborne.

Often, riders are farmers, traders, and merchants who travel overland, and need pegasi to pull their carts, wagons, and ploughs.