Note the absolutely wonderful post by Reggie Fields over at FlightSim.com:http://forums.flightsim.com/dc/dcboard.php...g_id=3775&page= Best,Mike

See also his notes on flying the Classics...http://forums.flightsim.com/dc/dcboard.php...g_id=3779&page= M.

Great tips.Scouting the destination airfield with clear weather and daylight hours before starting a night flight or a flight with potentially bad weather. I'd take screenshots of obstacles to flight and things to be aware of for particularly hairy fields and keep them handy (either printed or on a laptop)

I also use Google Earth to get oriented with the surroundings of the airport. Turn on terrain to view any terrain obstacles and you can identify rivers, populated areas, or other landmarks that can help. FS models all of these quite accurately.I have some tools at http://smithplanet.com/fs2004/tools that can help. Just enter in the airport code to see it in Google Maps or Google Earth - as well as lots of other airport information (real-time weather, runways, navaids, etc.). If you're flying online, you can also view your real-time location in 3d in Google Earth. I've found these quite helpful in the past RTW races.Now, I'm heading back home to FlightSim.com before my teammates over there catch me giving tips to the 'enemy'. :-)http://smithplanet.com/temp/GoogleEarthTracking.jpgJared

More good stuff from Reggie and Jared over at FlightSim:http://forums.flightsim.com/dc/dcboard.php...g_id=3835&page=All of this is absolutely first rate advice. IMHO. Experience speaks.M.