[Crannogman]

In reference to setting a course, what alternative do you suggest, just setting a heading on your compass and going? That doesn't work in the game for some reason - I'd like to say that it's because of using a Mercator projection for the game map. Regardless of the reason, you can observe from setting a distant waypoint at a different latitude that the autopilot will have to correct course along the way (you can see it flipping the rudder a little every so often). IIRC, it usually has to keep readjusting in a more polar direction, ie if you are going Southwest it will be repeatedly turning left a little b/c it keeps drifting north of its intended endpoint. I would have to recheck (haven't simply played in a while), nor am I sure quite what would happen if the course crossed the equator...