On the AV80R I used to fly with a lot and also in some way the GNS430 (nearest AD's. Navaids waypoints etc..) give you the option Direct To--> Airport or (VRP)waypoint or navaid..etc..As such you still can select what you want. Only having the aerodromes is important but not everything..

The scenario is that you have to divert (maybe due to low cloud), and you're not sure what route to take so your first immediate action is to take up a leg to a safe point that avoids airspace and terrain.  While navigating to that point you can then work out the next steps and add to that first 'direct to' route.

On the second point, I'm not suggesting changing what you see when you select the 'direct to' page.  Seeing a list of nearest airfields with their runway lengths is perfect.  All I'm suggesting is that if you type in a navaid, say 'sam' or 'cpt' in the text box at the top, the navaid appears with a 'direct to' button.

Calling it a fix implies that there is something wrong. Can you explain the scenario where you would wish to route direct to a nameless point in space?

The Route Direct feature itself is designed to present a special view of airfields, to quickly give you an idea of the longest runway, airfield ownership etc. It needs to do this with a minimum of fuss because the time somebody wants to use Direct To is often a time where workload is high. I suppose we could add other waypoints to the list when a search phrase is typed in; I'd like to get the feedback of others who use the feature on that point. Hopefully they'll chime in.

If I use the map to select a VRP or a Navaid I get the option of 'Route Direct'.  If I press on a random part of the map, the lat/long comes up and I only get the option of 'Append to Route'.  Why don't I also get the option of 'Route Direct'?  This would seem like an easy fix. 

On a separate issue, when I select 'Flight' and then 'Direct To...' why am I limited to only typing in airport names?  Why can't I type in a Navaid or VRP here?

Thanks.