Firstly, "48k" bombers became 38.2K bombers when all bombers had their power plant reduced. I've never had a problem flying the Orchid, I was even once insulted in Conn. for being a PvP whore and only flying the Orchid for its' superior turning. The Orchid shares the same power plant as the Falcata and Catamarans, both of which are notoriously good bombers.
It is also far from the largest bomber. It's also far from being as big as a Barghest. Your comparison even shows this. It has a smaller profile from the front, which is the most important thing in a joust.
This is a comparison of most of the bombers. As you can see the Orchid is roughly mid-size. As far as bombers go, I rate it about average.