This is actually a suggestion; but connected to the current flow of this thread. IF it's "worthy" and the admins think it appropriate, please split it off, or the DEVS can simply make a note of it and leave it where it is.
So here is a thought... for future version(s), because 1.74 has to get released sometime.
In some space sims one can "turn off the cockpit" by pressing a character.
The strongest example of this; one of my favorite DOS games was "Tie Fighter Wars" (except that it was scripted and not freeform)... when you pressed a character (a period '.' I just looked it up, I still have this game in the original box), the cockpit (and all instruments) were toggled ON/OFF. OFF = a completely clear screen. Laser and missiles still worked, though you didn't have a crosshair... you couldn't see damage or threat instruments, so you had to be careful... fighting this way took practice. There were times when this was convenient (I used it sometimes when fighting A-Wings, because they were fast and very agile, hard to hit).
Maybe something LIKE this can be done... regardless of whether you are in-space, or docked; pressing a certain character toggles the HUD.
Or toggles between HUD displays and "commercial" displays (I refered to another thread earlier... someone suggested HUD display, and "commercial" display for doing business in a station. A "business interface").
Sword, thy name is Cobra. And Cobra has fangs!