On Sunday, January 26, 2014 6:06:55 PM UTC-8, Tom Kelley #711 wrote:

It may surprize you, that some of our top pilots do the same scouting when they go to a US National. Some even arrive early and drive around the task area looking over the fields.

#711.

Guess why I've been spending time around Montague Tom.

This is a very good idea, not just for final glide. I've scouted unmarked runways, roads, better fields in a number of task areas in the spots where airfields are spotty and terrain is - um - unpleasant. The best ones go into my personal waypoint database in case they are needed.