The issue is not that it bugs out or worked inconsistently, but that this is another of the many examples in CoH2 where a single ability functions differently from all other similar abilities for actually no apparent reason.
And for someone playing casually this can be a big drawback because there is simply no time to figure out the quirks of each ability.
If possible, it would be better if it worked like the same two-click process of those recon-smoke commander ability. If this creates balance issues, then at least it should be clearly stated that the planes come from the base (or is it? I can't remember that is would be like this, but I have not played with forward majors often recently).
Bascially it is all about my comment that i posted on the first page, before it was kind of drowned away.
The discussion is all about a small quality of life change to make that recon pass ability slightly more user-friendly and more in-line with the other abilities in the game. It would be good if similar abilities in the game are used in a similar fashion without having the player to trial and error in hopes to get the best outcomes for something that should be clear and easy. The discussion is not about balance, or how to counter units, or other attempts to derail the thread.
It is totally silly that things which should work and feel the same, are not the same at all. As if different designers worked on it, without relying on any design document. If able, there needs to be an action flag set to ensure that it works likewise as other recon based abilities from other units/doctorines/factions/whatever. In the grand scheme of things, players are frustrated if that is not the case. If it's one plane or two planes is totally irrelevant to players. However I am not sure if that can be completed with the existing mod tools.
Overall thread: Please keep the balance discussions out of this thread - this is a clear and valid user experience problem. Do not derail it again.