From the sketchbook. Margain doodle, ink (Mitsubishi liner).
Thought of the day: Don't wing the outline of the tail.

A sky rider getting ready for flight and posing theatrically, showing off for an imaginary camera. As per tradition her gear is - though by 21st century standards extremely technologically sophisticated - functionally rudimentary: Flash goggles, a thermoregulation assistance suit, an upper torso life preserver (non-inflatable), a four point safety harness and, just in case, a backup paper map. The harness is additionally fitted with a blue water survival kit (back) and a first aid kit (front). As of 5300 CE Red Cross iconography is long since extinct, the universal medical aid symbol being the Terra United-derived "drop of life".

Note that no parachute is carried as rider and bird together rarely weigh above 200 kilos when fully laden, and in the event of an incapacitated mount both are easily recovered with a saddle mounted "airframe" parachute. No wireless besides an emergency beacon is carried either, since mounts have highly delicate senses and are easily confused by radio chatter and nearby electronics interfering with magnetic orientation. The unfortunate combination also means communication cybernetics are not a solution.

The mount of choice is the laruki, a lineage of engineered birds derived from gull and skimmer stock. The lineage stretches back over a millennium, probably originally being a Pobedan design, before being perfected by the Savitari workshops during the Dumai Savitari's peak of power. The modern laruki averages around 3 metres long extended in flight, with a wingspan of over 6 metres and dry weight around 75 kilos.

While being designed for the sole purpose of being a bird fit to carry a rider, the laruki is still only capable of carrying the smallest species (Size 1 on the Solar Commonwealth accessibility chart). The laws of biomechanics are not negotiable, and pushing the capacity even further would require designing a creature with a no longer recogniseable flying avian body plan, defeating the purpose of designing a bird that can be ridden in flight in the first place.