OP did say that he was in a Wing..........
This. Stay on the pad and stay in the instance.
He did, but private groups allow wings whilst eliminating pad-blockers, so it's still not insoluble!
As for outfitting, etc being out of the instance - makes sense - you've no control over weapons/actions at that point anyway, and it would also stop the exploit (well, I don't know if it is an exploit or intended, but either way it's a shoddy mechanic) where someone can target and scan you, from outside the station, through the wall, and make you fail a mission (if one of the criteria is that you don't get scanned) whilst you're in outfitting, kitting-out your ship!