What I've learned from Just Cause 2
 

I've had the game for about 15 days and here is what I know:

Those three-wheeled trolley things suck.
Shotguns are awesome.
Submachineguns are awesome.
Grappling hooks work best with parachutes.
Armored tanks explode when hit with enough bullets.
Snipers can kill you from within a tank or helicopter.
Anything related to oil is fun to destroy.
Ninjas don't like rocket launchers.

Has anybody else played this and have their own lessons?

Flying a plane into the crane you're supposed to destroy does approximately jack shit to the crane but the plane will explode. Unless that's just in the demo.

No, I think it would take away at least half health if not destroy it completely.

EDIT: You mean the oil rig crane? With those it's just best to spam rockets and bullets all over it.

to save yourself from hitting the ground at thermal velocity Shoot a grappling hook at the ground a pull yourself at the ground going slightly faster then thermal velocity.

Overkill is a understatement

Bell+man =falling bell with a man attached to it.

Kinda cool how you can survive at terminal velocity falls if you grapple-hook the ground you're gonna hit.