Offline maps for pilots?

[tsmpaul]

Hi guys. I often use things like Google Earth, Google Maps, etc, to explore the world and find places to fly in. When I bring up the flight creator in FSX and have to use drop down lists to select locations in countries, it's a pain, since I usually have no idea where any of the places are in relation to each other. So if online, I might bring up google maps in another window on my other monitor, to see how a country is laid out. My question is, are there any DVD World Atlases, or other such map programs, that are designed for viewing maps offline, simply from your hard drive instead of streaming off the internet? I would love some sort of map software that is on my hard drive, that I can browse counties and airports, if anything like that exists?

I get annoyed with the flight planner in FSX because most of the airports don't even show on their map unless you zoom in on an area, and that means you have to know it's there to zoom in on it. There must be an easier way to find airports around the world!

[tim_A]

I use an old (2001) copy of Encarta Atlas that came as part of MSWorks, pre-installed on an old PC. It's a nice atlas. I think it now comes as part of Encarta Premium.

[John York]

I simply use books;  Our 'Family World Atlas' and 'Road Atlas' maps for Australia and the UK.  I also have them beside me when I fly with the route marked and I put asteriks where there are places of special interest to visit on the way.

We also have a globe that I sometimes close my eyes give a twirl and put my finger on a spot.  Providing its not sea, that's where I go!

Much better and simpler than fiddling with the computer.

John