David, there are many avenues that your friend can explore before visiting Vienna.
For starters, visit the AustriaCzech SIG website and explore it's many resources.

Go to:

http://www.jewishgen.org/austriaczech/ausguide.htm

Go to the section of the website dealing with Oesterreichisches Staatsarchiv

Take a look at the link to http://www.avotaynu.com/holocaustlist/a2.htm
and see if the father's name is listed. If so, order the documents; they cost
nothing and you can write to the Archives in English. Delivery is remarkably quick
and you may find invaluable information (I did!)

Also bear in mind that your friend can post queries to this List, and also to
Austriaczech SIG (for which a free subscription is required).

Good luck.

Robert Fraser
Perth, Western Australia
Researching:
NOWAK; Moravia, Austria, USA and the world: EISINGER; Moravia, Vienna, USA and the
world
NAGEL; Moravia, Vienna, New York: FINKELSTEIN; Galicia, Vienna
WORTMANN; Slovakia, USA: KRAUTERBLUTH; Poland
LICHTBLAU; Vienna

David Alan Laskin laskin.david@gmail.com:
A friend of mine is just starting to research her father, who fled Vienna for
London in 1938, possibly via the Netherlands. She would like to find out where he
lived in Vienna, how he managed to get out (probably after the Anschluss), what
documents he needed. Snip.....