Nope Enker, as you put it it doesnīt work.....
He canīt leave the squad simply by using an action.
Thereīs a substantial crux in this whole thing....
I asked myself nearly the same questions.
Anmd one problem is exactly the squad coherency. You donīt buy optional crew memebers, meaning an extra squad to man the Shark.
You have buy a rider, you get only to choose which one you like. Following this the rider is part of the squad.....
So itīs clear for the riders with Form Fire Team.
They hop off and leave command distance of the vehicle. They are per SA squad members as long as they are in command distance, at least until next activation because in this activation they activated as crew members! OK getting out of CD isnīt that hard... One move of the shark and one of the rider, et voilā.
So now to the Flight officer:
He activates as crew member, which is the essential fault in your reasoning.
The commanders can assume command with an action, but they canīt abandon their squads that easy.....
To leave the squad he has to disembark at least, because by this he leaves the original crew and following this the order of activation in this particular squad.
As long as being in the crew he has to activate as that.
He abandons command with an action.
And then on his next activation he could act as an individual again.