It seems to me that these discussions miss a couple important points.
Perks are no supposed to work like the airborne equivalent of a golfer's handicap; they are solely used so HiTech can maintain play balance.
Whether a plane is "better" or not is irrelevant. AH2 is a game, and its success or failure rides on the game experience. When a plane distorts the environment, impacting enjoyment for the members of an arena as a combined statistical whole, then HT intervenes. It's what happened with the C-Hog, and it's what happened with the ENY.
If this theory is correct, and HT is motivated by the gameplay rather than the theoretic "fairness" of the "handicap", then propsed lists are little more than clucking from the henhouse.
The greatest threat to the play balance in the MA comes not from any individual plane, but from the Uber-skilled vets who can slice through crowds of lesser mortals.
Or in other words, it's the pilot, not the plane. Put 2 skilled pilots up to defend a base, one in a power plane and the otehr in a turner, adn they will likely hold off a crowd for as long as they want. (This doesnt apply to the "descending locust swarm of biblical proportions" that happens all too often, of course.)
I am no ace, and with jsut over a year in I hardly call myself a vet. But, La7s -- as generally flown -- dont seem that hard to deal with IMHO. Same especially for the pony. Most pony drivers maneuver far too much and too hard, lose their E, and end up wallowing on the deck until someone puts them out of their misery. Niks are tougher, because "spray and pray" is a viably lethal option, but even so with SA and journeyman skills the threat can be contained. All in all, I think the perks are OK. You might argue to let the Spit XIV in, based on performance, but I get the feeling that most of the BBS thinks there are too many spits anyway. I'd vote to leave things essentially alone.
In any case, it seems to me that for those who see a problem with perk balance, the best way to address it to HTC is by making a case for game balance impact. "It's not fair" and "we see too many " isnt gonna cut it.
It never has in the past.....
