What's the practical use of the Vertibird signal grenades?

[Angry Soviet]

Don't get me wrong, they look and feel really cool, and it's much more stylish than fast travel. But still, I haven't found the vertibirds that practical. You don't really get a chance to use the minigun, since the moment you land at your destination you have to get off the ship. Unless you want to take random potshots at random Commonwealth dwellers on the road there, it doesn't help that much.

[Sentient_Toaster]

It's faster than fast-travel, and lets you easily go long distances even when you're heavily encumbered and haven't perked up Strong Back.

[Phoenix VII]

It's a good method of travel if you don't want to fast travel somewhere (and there are places like Milton General Hospital where you risk getting killed immediately due to a couple super mutant suiciders being close to your fast travel point) or if you want to cross a large body of water without getting rads (like going to Spectacle Island for the first time when there isn't a fast travel point available for use yet). I can't say the vertibirds are super important though.

[White Knight]

From someone who had been overencumbered since thirty minutes into the game, the Air Taxi was a wondrous gift!

Picked up and dropped off, door to door service in a fraction of the time. The Mini-gun isn't something I used much. I couldn't really see that well from a height and rarely recognized a site on the ground that I was confident enough about to risk murdering innocent people. The Gunners love places high and out of the way, so their camps got lit up every chance I got. Super Mutant camps stand out plus they usually shoot at you...laser weapons are especially easy to fire back at.

I suspect that the enemies you shoot at can sometimes follow the Vertibird for a short distance and attack as you land. Either that or the pilots like to land in very hot spots without giving you any warning.

I thought it was loads of fun. Companions could get delayed or left behind (or so I'd read) so I just ordered them onto the aircraft first.

Pretty much all of downtown Boston is a no-landing zone and I'm sure there are other places too but if you save your game, it never hurts to try. Oh and once the Vertibird lands you have a limited amount of time to get on board before they leave you there - it's enough time to fight off a couple of raiders, get their stuff and climb aboard, so it's fairly generous.

Plus, seeing an area from the air can help with your scouting efforts.

In a world where sleeping under bridges and eating garbage is the norm, it's definitely a sweet ride.

[Yescek]

I've found that I use them a ton now that I've finished the main quest. Didn't so much while I had story going on, but now that it's gone from this epic journey to a more casual stroll around the commonwealth I find I like traveling slower most of the time. You can land the Vertibird at any point along your route, so if I see a checkpoint getting attacked I can just drop in and assist. Or if I see a caravan, I can land and trade. I guess I'm just not in as much of a hurry any more.

[lpnlizard27]

Practical use? well theres encumbered travel, oh and ive had two defence missions pop up at the same time and when i fast traveled to one area the other failed, so i use a VSG and managed to do them both.

Ussually i just pop one and fire the minigun nonstop while shouting...... AIR SUPPERIORITY !!!

[Sentient_Toaster]

It would be epic if you could jump from the vertibird in flight (a fantastic use of Acrobat's leg armor); hopefully that gets added later.

[Mr.Hmm]

Originally posted by White Knight:

From someone who had been overencumbered since thirty minutes into the game, the Air Taxi was a wondrous gift!

Picked up and dropped off, door to door service in a fraction of the time. The Mini-gun isn't something I used much. I couldn't really see that well from a height and rarely recongized a site on the ground that I was confident enough about to risk murdering innocent people. The Gunners love places high and out of the way, so their camps got lit up every chance I got. Super Mutant camps stand out plus they usually shoot at you...laser weapons are especially easy to fire back at.

I suspect that the enemies you shoot at can sometimes follow the Vertibird for a short distance and attack as you land. Either that or the pilots like to land in very hot spots without giving you any warning.

I thought it was loads of fun. Companions could get delayed or left behind (or so I'd read) so I just ordered them onto the aircraft first.

Pretty much all of downtown Boston is a no-landing zone and I'm sure there are other places too but if you save your game, it never hurts to try. Oh and once the Vertibird lands you have a limited amount of time to get on board before they leave you there - it's enough time to fight off a couple of raiders, get their stuff and climb aboard, so it's fairly generous.

Plus, seeing an area from the air can help with your scouting efforts.

In a world where sleeping under bridges and eating garbage is the norm, it's definitely a sweet ride.

What he said.
I really loved the Air Taxi. but I can see more uses of it in future dlc or by modders when GECK is out.

[Yescek]

Originally posted by Sentient_Toaster:

It would be epic if you could jump from the vertibird in flight (a fantastic use of Acrobat's leg armor); hopefully that gets added later.

I was so disappointed when I found out you couldn't do that. I was gonna drop it like it's hot on some Super Mutants.

[machinegunnergameingyt]

I am currently useing them in survivel mode and Oh my god they are awsome becuse other wise I would just walk every were becuse in survivel there is no fast travel

[Brazilian_Soldier]

Holy ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ necro, batman!

[Eagle_of_Fire]

Originally posted by Sentient_Toaster:

It would be epic if you could jump from the vertibird in flight (a fantastic use of Acrobat's leg armor); hopefully that gets added later.

You used to be able to do that because I used to do it all the time, with my power armor on of course. It allowed me to get to high places in an instant by bypassing all the trouble from the ground floor and up... Which if I had to guess why it was removed, would be a pretty good bet to me.