Yeah, also watch ufos (on slowest time) once you have unleashed your fleet. You can see where aliens are beamed down and - once you recovered any downed ufos - you can clear them out before they spread or cause problems.
However, make sure you send enough soldiers. I just had a nightmarish mission with 3 soldiers (1 with shields) in the slum forest landscape. Entropy missiles melted the equipment of one soldier, the next got wounded and the third fell victim to a strange bug: His devestator was convinced it suddenly had 34 rounds and refused to fire... I had to abort, I'm trying again now, the same 3 soldiers but this time its the big building with a helipad and stairway further up on either side of it.
Wish me luck
Edit: I finally did it. Turn out you were correct, sharp... he my trooper pretendet to be healing himself for a full 2 minutes before I lost patience and - ignoring the brainsuckers (the launchers seem to be in again in the alien community) - land. Ironically he was hovering right above a grave but once hel landed, it took him about 5 secs to get sorted and rejoin the fray... good thing, too because before that I was operating with one trooper...
Still the operation was costly enough; my last shield was destroyed and I have only one healthy soldier left (ignoring the 10 soldiers guarding base number 2, I hesitate to send them anywhere because they have 0 experience, inadequate equipment (i.e. no marsec body armour) and .. well .. I can't be asked to work with idiots again..)