I miss the cockpits as well; I really think their removal was the worst thing about Wing Commander IV. The claim at the time was that they weren't worth the effort and and memory because players just turned them off as soon as a mission started. I didn't really believe that--how would they measure that, even?--but even if it's true they're still necessary for establishing the 'feel' of the game.
Wing Commander really isn't a game that you want to play as *efficiently* as possible, like multiplayer Quakes and the like were becoming at the time.