Yes, as long as it's against multiple cons which seems to be the order of the day in the MA's. I'm willing to take on the inevitable hoardlettes but I like to have the right tools for the job because I like to land my sorties too.
So you do have respect for the skilled players picking in Temps and HOing in C-Hogs then? Or running from fights in Ponys? Curious.
The Spit8/16 are better than the La7 as desperate base defense airplanes. They climb just as well/better, accelerate well, and defend themselves by turning a lot better. If you can't kill/drive off the attackers with Spits, you can't do it with an La7. Along that line, the WW/Osti/Field guns are the best vulch breaking tool of all. Having two VHs on an airbase would do alot more to shut down base-take horde tactics than any sort offighter. So no, "I need a constant supply of free La7s to defend the base" is not a valid argument against a perk price for the La7.
You like to LAND after a sortie? Well, that's just pure "cowardice" and lameness by some accounts, not that I agree with that attitude. Call me crazy for thinking that having to choose between speed OR maneuverability is a fair concept. Arguments can always go both ways on issues like this...a D9 is a great plane for bouncing one of the endless NOE raids, killing some, and getting clean away with it...you know, unless they also brought an La7.
Respect? What is there to respect? Almost all kills in the MA involve some element of picking/ganging/other unfairness. Planes nearly ALWAYS dive away to the deck and begin runnng/flopping/ack dragging/horde dragging if one gets in the saddle on them. Even if both parties meet up in similar planes and have a desire to fight mano a mano to the finish, they will almost never be left alone. The only difference between a 500mph Pony busting in on your duel and the way Spits typically operate is that the Pony is easier to avoid. We can complain about these conditions, but that is the way it is and one might as well adapt. The hated bnz'ing tactic is actually a perfectly rational response to the chaotic, multi-bandit nature of MA combat, as opposed to committing to a turn fight with a particular bandit. Sure, the latter is fun, but the AHII Gods of (Mis)Fortune piss on you way too often when you try to have a nice 1v1 in the MA.
The guy in the Tempest has at least had to pay some points to get his performance advantage, and is generally much easier to dodge than the La7. They HOer in the C-Hog at least had to pay for the airframe he's probably not going to land. What's a C-Hog but an ordinary Hog with great guns anyway? You're not going to survive a good hog pilot within 400 yards locked on your six anyway, so why get antsy over .50s v 20mm? (Perking the C-Hog and leaving the La7 free is absurd IMO.)
Runstangs? I'll tell you a story that will illustrate my feelings on the issue of engaging and disengaging. So there I was, flying the evil La7 one time at a base under attack...friendlies manning Las and Spixteens all around. Most attackers had been driven off. So this enemy pony comes in high, tries his hand a bit attacking the higher friendlies, then disengages before the horde can corner him. Some self-appointed wit on range had to say "Look at the Pony run"....made me want to laugh, and I said as much. Yeah, it sure was unsporting of that Pony to not fight all our La7s and Spixteens by himself on the deck...BS!

. And yeah, I've had inexplicable incidents too, like Ponies running from my lone 190, an airplane you'd think they'd be eager to turn-fight...but I don't mind seeing that even, because it means the pilot is no threat and if I DO choose to run him down (and none of his buddies show up), that he will almost certainly be meat on the table.