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I think I've solved both problems myself.1. Ask for an alternate runway after taxi instructions.2. Be on the ATC nominated runwayCliff

Also, if your waypoints are within 30 nm of your departing runway you get an as filed take-off clearance no matter what runway is in use and still be expected to hit those waypoints. If you select your first waypoint outside of 30 nm you will get vectors to line you up with it to resume your own nav to that first waypoint again from whatever runway is appropriate or you request.I generally choose for larger aircraft and dense airports the first waypoint at about 35 nm out to allow for departure vectoring which considers the preferred traffic flow. ATC determines the runway based on its preferred use algorithms and weather.With smaller GA aircraft from outlying GA small airports with lower traffic I might pick a closer waypoint based on the easier pattern departure, lower traffic, and easier manuvering from any runway. I just fly as filed following proper pattern procedures. You might get an initial heading for TO.In all cases, it might not follow your flight plan as mapped on your GPS or moving map but plan on getting as direct as possible to that first waypoint unless vectors are being issued.Requesting a runway contrary to traffic flow can be hazardous especially if you try to take off in an opposing direction to AI. You don't want to be nose-to-nose with AI on the same runway.With the current version of RC 3.1 occasionally RC ATIS and FS9 ATIS, the latter controlling AI disagree. (See the topic here called AI Refresh). I use a TCAS but also bring up before requesting clearance the FS9 ATC window just to listen for the runway in use. I then listen to the RC ATIS and see if there is a significant conflict. If so, I'll request the FS9 runway in use when ready to get taxi clearance.Version 4 of RC will be able to examine AI trends and be much better at matching the AI departure traffic pattern.

>Also, if your waypoints are within 30 nm of your departing>runway you get an as filed take-off clearance no matter what>runway is in use and still be expected to hit those waypoints.Does "Flex DP" get you around this requirement at all? On one of my earliest flights with RC I ended up taking off in the "wrong" direction for the DP, and had to circle around in order to hit the first waypoint in the procedure just to get it to advance to the next one. I didn't see a way to request the next waypoint, but again I was new to RC and may not have looked in the right place. At any rate, since then I've been fairly lucky with runway directions and DPs, but I'm sure its only a matter of time before this happens again. Mark Kuebeler

What is "FlexDP" Mark?Cliff

It's an option on the controllers screen that you can enable prior to starting RC which basically prevents the departure controller from issuing any vectors within 30nm of your departure. In other words, you can go anywhere you please as long as you hit your checkpoints, so you can fly whatever DP you want. However, in reviewing the manual I found the answer to my question. It is only "flexible" if you actually omit the DP waypoints from the flight plan. If they're in the flight plan, you apparently have to hit them within the specified tolerance (2nm for waypoints within 30nm of the departure).Mark Kuebeler