"BTIZ" wrote in message news:X9x2b.11881$Qy4.947@fed1read05...
haing a light tough on the stick.. and feeling the wing lift in the
thermal.. is just as good.. and keeps your head outside and not inside
looking at lights.. and saves a bunch of money

90% of our soaring days are with blue sky thermals...

I second John Morgan's posting that the Themi can be a real aid. I had
my doubts, but John's endorsement (we fly together often) and a telcon
with Tom Knauf (who sells the device and raves about it) convinced me
to try it.

Tom's story may help. He told me that, when the inventor left a demo
with him, he tried it for a while. Meaning he saw whether or not it
agreed with his corrections. After all, Tom is a great pilot. But then
he decided to give the Themi a real chance and and just follow it
blindly. He was surprised that, when it disagreed with his judgement,
the Themi was right more often than not! Especially at low altitude
where the thermals are poorly organized. He told me that now, when
he's at low altitude, he always follows the Themi and it has saved him
a number of times. OK, he sells the device you may say. But my
experience (and John's) is consistent. If you can afford it, I
recommend it. (If it now has data logger functionality as well -- it
didn't when I got mine, but was supposed to "soon" -- it makes even
more sense.)

Martin