Banshee
Top speed: Unknown
Engine Unit: Boosted Gravity Propulsion Drive
Mass: 2.25 tons
Primary Armaments: Twin Plasma Cannons
Secondary Armament: Fuel Rod Gun
Passengers: 1 Pilot
Primary Role: Fighter, Bomber, Reconnaissance

Author: SmartAlec13
   The banshee is a very usefull air vehicle, and in the right hands can control the field. The best way to use it is to stay higher up, so you dont get skyjacked by enemies below. Use your primary twin plasma guns to lower down an enemies health, then go for the bomb. Remember that the bomb drops slightly, so you may need to aim up slightly to get on target.

  Since neither of its bullet styles are lightning fast, you need to aim in front of moving targets. It depends mostly on the range, but with the twin plasmas aim as much as you would if you were firing a Battle Rifle. but with the banshee bomb, your going to need to aim it well, it travels slowly through the air. If you have ever used a fuel-rod gun, then it is very similar.

  Using its great boosting capabilities, it is possible to splatter enemies. But this is a risky move, with the ever immenat threat of a skyjacker. Also, if your going for a splatter, try to not aim for a target right next to a bunch of obstacles such as rocks or trees, for you can suffer massive damage if you run into one...or you can blow up. The banshee also has dodging maneuvers, which you can use by pressing 'A' and either up, left, or right on the stick. This is very good for dodging in general, but the most applicable use is when being hunted down by those pesky missle pods.

Author: MONSTER298
Attacking

• Splattering an opponent with a Banshee is often tempting, but this is normally a very risky maneuver, because hitting the ground can slow down the Banshee and have it boarded. However, if you are relatively parallel and low to the ground, this is a great opportunity to rack up kills and medals.
• If you are stalled by an overcharged Plasma Pistol shot or Power Drain, get out immediately upon landing, as you are basically defenseless without maneuvering. You can also boost while trying to splatter someone. It usually works best on maps with small hills so that if the Banshee misses, it'll continue flying by going off the hill.
• If the Banshee is boarded there are a few ways to stop it being used against you: The first is to do a back flip in the Banshee, if timed right, you should be launched above and come back right down on it to take it back and get the Maybe Next Time Buddy Achievement.
• One more tactic is if the Banshee is severely damaged while being boarded, boost it into a wall, if you time it just right, you will be kicked out, the Banshee will explode with the opponent in it, and you may just get the kill for it.
• Another good way to use it is to get close to the ground to fight the enemy team then fly back up quickly so you won't be skyjacked.
• If you see a group of enemies near each other you should fire your Fuel Rod Cannon at them, then just shoot your plasma cannons at them.
• Arguably the best control scheme for the Banshee is the Bumper Jumper configuration. This allows you actually aim your Banshee's Fuel Rod Gun, unlike the default control scheme, where it can be tough due the fact that button the fires it, B, requires you to lift your thumb away from the aiming stick. In Bumper Jumper, you can aim and fire without moving any fingers. It also makes performing tricks easier, since the trick button has been moved to the bumper as well, allowing you maintain complete control over your craft while dodging.
• The Halo 3 Banshee is much more difficult to pilot. In fact you cannot pitch the craft's nose up or down more than 45°. Why this peculiarity was added is probably because in the previous games the Banshee was too maneuverable. However, AI controlled Banshees will be exempt from this factor.
• In Halo 3 multiplayer, if you have a missile pod shooting towards you, it is possible to dodge it by repeatedly hitting the X button with left or right.

Defending

• Relatively strong players may consider sticking a Plasma Grenade to counter the attack. For vehicles, it is generally recommended to use the turret on Warthogs to cut down the pilot in rapid successions. If the Banshee is REALLY close, it is recommended that you use a shotgun; however, the shotgun is still useful for damaging Banshees from close-to-mid range. Most Banshee pilots online tend to flee when confronted by a player weilding a shotgun. Ducking can also be an effective way at dodging a Banshee pilot's attempt at ramming you. Otherwise, you can simply jump out of the way and throw a plasma or spike grenade while the Banshee is grounded. (It takes a few moments to get back in the air once you hit the ground in a Banshee.)
• A Banshee in full flight The Banshee is lightly armored and thus vulnerable to explosives and anti-vehicle weaponry. The best weapon to destroy a Banshee is the Missile Pod or Spartan Laser, depending on your skill with either weapon, although the Missile Pod is much easier to use with its homing and lock on ability if you succede in destroying the Banshee you will unlock the Too Close to the Sun achievement. The missiles home in on the Banshee and are difficult to evade but it is possible to do so with the use of barrel rolls and the boosting function. One way to confuse homing rockets is to do a barrel roll and then immediately boost forwards. Other weapons such as the Rocket Launcher and Spartan Laser can instantly destroy a Banshee although they are harder to successfully hit the target at long ranges. Other alternatives include the Warthog's M41 LAAG(although if the warthog is stationary it is easy for the banshee pilot to flip you with a Fuel Rod shot), Machine Gun Turrets, and the Brute Shot. Scorpion Tanks and/or Wraiths are also quite effective against Banshees as it is hard for the pilot to maneuver away from the shot from one of the two. At close range a Banshee can be destroyed with Plasma or Spike Grenades. It can also be hijacked at low speeds. This can be effective if there is a Gravity Lift, giving you the elevation needed to hijack a careful Banshee pilot.
• Some good items to consider using in Halo 3 while engaged with a Banshee are overcharged shots from a Plasma Pistol or tossing a Power Drain as they both temporarily deactivate the Banshee's engines. Using a Bubble Shield against a Banshee should only be used against its weapons, you can still be splattered through the Bubble Shield. A decent fall-back tactic is to use dual SMGs - their fast rate of fire and the wide canopy of the Banshee ensure that the vehicle will be hit with the full power of two weapons at a close to mid-range. Of course, practically any anti-vehicular weapons would be favourable, but it could do enough damage to scare the Banshee away, or leave it in a bad enough position to be destroyed by a teammate.
• One of the things you can do to evade a Banshee is to run to the nearest place of cover. Rocks, trees, caves and bases are all good places for cover from the Banshee's Plasma Cannons. If you are stuck in a wide open there is not much you can do unless you have an anti-vehicular weapon. However a Banshee can't hover in place, so it can only attack for a few seconds before having to reposition itself leaving you a chance to escape.

Piloting Tactics

Author About 9 Grunts

• Splattering an enemy may be tempting, but it is risky because once the banshee hits the ground, it looses speed which makes it an easy target.

• The "bumper jumper" layout will make it easier to fly a banshee because you can aim the fuel rod cannon, and fire it simultaneously.
  

• You can do arial tricks to dodge missle pods by hitting " A " then left or right on the left thumbstick.

• A good way to confuse the lock on a missle pod is to barrel roll, then boost forward.