Sure, HF radio is useful,as is having an awareness of the freedoms of the air (although I hope someone in Ops has figured out the ins and outs prior to my wheels touching down...) However, I still contend that the vast majority of the studying is nit-picking, and involves calculations that require numbers and formulas you do not have access to in real life. As such, the point is lost on me, how about real scenarios (figuring out which SID you can accept out of Incheon on a hot day; go/no-go decisions?) and not calculating the radius of your turn - in a heavy jet!!!!!!!!!