hehe sounds like you're having a good time
1) Let me know what you think of the craft (or other parts of the mod if you try them). I have nerfed the grenade launcher compared to what's available online currently, but its smoke grenade is still very convenient (immediate smoke in front of the skyranger, instead of in it after the end of your turn).
2) That's nuts! I've seen bad landings in terror missions, but for a crashed UFO.. Seems like they were ready for you!
3) You might want to try the Psionic Line of Fire mod, I think we already recommended it? I use a similar mod where the mind probe is excluded from the LoF requirement, but it's a game changer. I am thinking of turning that mod off later in the game though, to make Ethereals and Sectoids more of a challenge, as they become too weak once you have veterans instead of rookies. Actually, I am coming up with an idea for a whole mod dedicated to psi-warfare to make it more interesting and less of an all or nothing element.