Nopoop,
For exterior shots I use a combination so F8 (pan), zoom, and F4. F3 doesn't seem to have the same effect as F4.
You need to adjust your FOV in the cockpit using z, [ ], obviously. Then switch into F4 and pan around. Using a combination of the number pad and the [ ] keys, you can fiddle around and get that perfect angle. The bracket keys can dramatically change the angle in F4 mode depending on the zoom.
I dunno, thats how I do it.