diff --git a/src/Main/fg_init.cxx b/src/Main/fg_init.cxx
index 4c3a1f1d4..6eb034f31 100644
--- a/src/Main/fg_init.cxx
+++ b/src/Main/fg_init.cxx
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ SG_USING_STD(string);
 class Sound;
 
 extern const char *default_root;
-extern string_list waypoints;
+
 
 #ifdef FG_USE_CLOUDS_3D
   SkySceneLoader *sgCloud3d;
@@ -1003,42 +1003,22 @@ static bool fgSetPosFromFix( const string& id ) {
  
 static bool parseWaypoints()
   {
-    vector<string>::iterator i;
-    for (i = waypoints.begin(); 
-	 i  != waypoints.end();
-	 i++)
+    string_list *waypoints = globals->get_initial_waypoints();
+    if (waypoints) 
       {
-	NewWaypoint(*i);
-	// string arg = *i;
-// 	string id, alt_str;
-// 	double alt = 0.0;
-	
-// 	string::size_type pos = arg.find( "@" );
-// 	if ( pos != string::npos ) {
-// 	  id = arg.substr( 0, pos );
-// 	  alt_str = arg.substr( pos + 1 );
-// 	  cout << "id str = " << id << "  alt str = " << alt_str << endl;
-// 	  alt = atof( alt_str.c_str() );
-// 	  if ( !strcmp(fgGetString("/sim/startup/units"), "feet") ) {
-// 	    alt *= SG_FEET_TO_METER;
-// 	  }
-// 	} else {
-// 	  id = arg;
-// 	}
-	
-// 	FGAirport a;
-// 	if ( fgFindAirportID( id, &a ) ) {
-// 	  FGRouteMgr *rm = (FGRouteMgr *)globals->get_subsystem("route-manager");
-// 	  SGWayPoint wp( a.longitude, a.latitude, alt, SGWayPoint::WGS84, id );
-// 	  rm->add_waypoint( wp );
-	  
-// 	  //return true;
-// 	} else {
-// 	  return false;
-// 	}
-//       }
-//     //    waypoints.begin() = waypoints.erase(waypoints.begin());
-//     return true;
+	vector<string>::iterator i;
+	for (i = waypoints->begin(); 
+	     i  != waypoints->end();
+	     i++)
+	  {
+	    NewWaypoint(*i);
+	  }
+	// Now were done using the way points we can deallocate the
+	// memory they used
+	while (waypoints->begin() != waypoints->end())
+	  waypoints->pop_back();
+	delete waypoints;
+	globals->set_initial_waypoints(0);
       }
    }
 
diff --git a/src/Main/globals.cxx b/src/Main/globals.cxx
index 73d06b23e..b6a932760 100644
--- a/src/Main/globals.cxx
+++ b/src/Main/globals.cxx
@@ -73,7 +73,8 @@ FGGlobals::FGGlobals() :
     channel_options_list( NULL ),
     scenery( NULL ),
     tile_mgr( NULL ),
-    io( new FGIO )
+    io( new FGIO ),
+    initial_waypoints(0)
 {
 }
 
@@ -87,6 +88,11 @@ FGGlobals::~FGGlobals()
   delete props;
   delete commands;
   delete io;
+  
+  // make sure only to delete the initial waypoints list if it acually
+  // still exists. 
+  if (initial_waypoints)
+    delete initial_waypoints;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/Main/globals.hxx b/src/Main/globals.hxx
index a650f83b5..071c97c24 100644
--- a/src/Main/globals.hxx
+++ b/src/Main/globals.hxx
@@ -178,6 +178,10 @@ private:
     // list of serial port-like configurations
     string_list *channel_options_list;
 
+    // A list of initial waypoints that are read from the command line
+    // and or flight-plan file during initialization
+    string_list *initial_waypoints;
+
     // FlightGear scenery manager
     FGScenery *scenery;
 
@@ -327,6 +331,14 @@ public:
 	channel_options_list = l;
     }
 
+    inline string_list *get_initial_waypoints () {
+        return initial_waypoints;
+    }
+  
+    inline void set_initial_waypoints (string_list *list) {
+        initial_waypoints = list;
+    }
+
     inline FGScenery * get_scenery () const { return scenery; }
     inline void set_scenery ( FGScenery *s ) { scenery = s; }
 
diff --git a/src/Main/options.cxx b/src/Main/options.cxx
index ebcbefb39..c719def4f 100644
--- a/src/Main/options.cxx
+++ b/src/Main/options.cxx
@@ -67,8 +67,6 @@ SG_USING_NAMESPACE(std);
 
 #define NEW_DEFAULT_MODEL_HZ 120
 
-string_list waypoints;
-
 enum
 {
     FG_OPTIONS_OK = 0,
@@ -543,34 +541,11 @@ add_channel( const string& type, const string& channel_str ) {
 // Parse --wp=ID[@alt]
 static bool 
 parse_wp( const string& arg ) {
-  //string id, alt_str;
-  //double alt = 0.0;
-  //
-  //string::size_type pos = arg.find( "@" );
-  //if ( pos != string::npos ) {
-  //id = arg.substr( 0, pos );
-  //alt_str = arg.substr( pos + 1 );
-  //// cout << "id str = " << id << "  alt str = " << alt_str << endl;
-  //alt = atof( alt_str.c_str() );
-  //if ( !strcmp(fgGetString("/sim/startup/units"), "feet") ) {
-  //    alt *= SG_FEET_TO_METER;
-  //}
-  //} else {
-  //id = arg;
-  //}
-  //
-  //FGAirport a;
-  //if ( fgFindAirportID( id, &a ) ) {
-  //    FGRouteMgr *rm = (FGRouteMgr *)globals->get_subsystem("route-manager");
-  //SGWayPoint wp( a.longitude, a.latitude, alt, SGWayPoint::WGS84, id );
-  //rm->add_waypoint( wp );
-  //
-  //return true;
-  //} else {
-  //return false;
-  //}
-  //}
-  waypoints.push_back(arg);
+  string_list *waypoints = globals->get_initial_waypoints();
+  if (!waypoints)
+    waypoints = new string_list;
+  waypoints->push_back(arg);
+  globals->set_initial_waypoints(waypoints);
 }
 
 
@@ -578,32 +553,34 @@ parse_wp( const string& arg ) {
 static bool 
 parse_flightplan(const string& arg)
 {
-    sg_gzifstream in(arg.c_str());
-    if ( !in.is_open() ) {
-	return false;
-    }
-    while ( true ) {
-	string line;
-
+  string_list *waypoints = globals->get_initial_waypoints();
+  if (!waypoints)
+    waypoints = new string_list;
+  sg_gzifstream in(arg.c_str());
+  if ( !in.is_open() ) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  while ( true ) {
+    string line;
+    
 #if defined( macintosh )
-        getline( in, line, '\r' );
+    getline( in, line, '\r' );
 #else
-	getline( in, line, '\n' );
+    getline( in, line, '\n' );
 #endif
-
-        // catch extraneous (DOS) line ending character
-        if ( line[line.length() - 1] < 32 ) {
-            line = line.substr( 0, line.length()-1 );
-        }
-
-	if ( in.eof() ) {
-	    break;
-	}
-	//parse_wp(line);
-	waypoints.push_back(line);
+    
+    // catch extraneous (DOS) line ending character
+    if ( line[line.length() - 1] < 32 ) {
+      line = line.substr( 0, line.length()-1 );
     }
-
-    return true;
+    
+    if ( in.eof() ) {
+      break;
+    }
+    waypoints->push_back(line);
+  }
+  globals->set_initial_waypoints(waypoints);
+  return true;
 }
 
 static int