RE: flying away and landing
Lots of great ideas...and here's one too. It's what I try to do. Notice I said TRY. Conditions don't always allow a nice landing down the center stripe.
First thing, before you take off, and this works no matter where you are flying. Look down the runway to your left and right, and imagine a line running parralell to the runway, and you are standing on it. Notice any landmarks like trees fences, etc. as mentioned earlier. On the final turn on the approach, simply notice where your plane is in relation to this imaginary line, and any landmarks. Using landmarks to define this line is important. Once you learn to do this, lining up on final will become a snap. Hope that helps.
Jim C