A Longsword would have been great, yes.

By the way, why do you rag on the Covenant for large, utilitarian spaces in their warships, but not the Winnebago that the Lonsword has for a cockpit?

: Also, since when did the Master Chief become the pilot? I always figured
: that he had a speciality amongst his Spartan comrades besides being a good
: leader with the luck of the Irish. Pretty cool how it's settled that he's
: the go-to driver.

I think 343i put him in the pilot seat so that the rest of Blue Team can have a quiet conversation about his mental health. It would be kind of awkward if Linda was in the pilot's seat and Fred questioned the Chief's sanity right in front of him.