[Pilgrim]

Hey Red,
I still use mine. I find it especially useful to establish the timing and size of thermals moving through the launch area. Of course I would like to test one of the new ones, but I am probably not worthy of getting on that list. However, I would like to keep up with the development of the new one and get on the list to purchase one when they come out.
Thanks for getting back to us on this Red and thank you Bob for putting the pieces together.
Pilgrim

[Rick Masters]

The primary "problem" with the Thermal Snooper was the way it lost ability to detect thermals in moist air. This caused some pilots on the coasts and in humid areas to complain about its performance. But I always flew with mine in the desert and I loved it. After several prototype evolutions, I could no longer make any recommendations to Alan about how he might improve it further. At that point, it took an intuitive and skillful pilot to use the Snooper effectively.

see Explorations with the Thermal Snooper, SSA Soaring, Aug 1987
http://cometclones.com/illusion.htm

[Bob Kuczewski]

Wow!!! What a great article: http://cometclones.com/illusion.htm

I hope Rick doesn't mind me quoting his first paragraphs as a "tease" for the entire article:

The serenity of the summer sky is an illusion.

If suddenly, by magic, we could see the movements and shapes defined by the temperature and pressure interfaces of different segments of air, we would find ourselves in a bizarre theater more alien than any distant planet. And we would be well on the way to deciphering the enigma of meteorology.

Unfortunately, masked by its own transparency, the sky gives hints to its nature only by its effects on other things. We are left to theorize what action of the air caused a cloud to form, established a lenticular above a mountain range, carried an eagle to cloudbase, formed a destructive tornado, or brought a drought to Africa.

As soaring pilots, we are constantly challenged to visualize the most efficient aerial pathway to altitude and distance. In this quest we employ various tools, most notably: the variometer. This instrument measures the rate of change in atmospheric pressure. It's sister instrument the altimeter measures the change in pressure.

Virtually all soaring pilots rely primarily on pressure-sensitive instruments to aid their understanding of an energetic and constantly changing atmosphere. This seems perfectly normal until one considers that the prime mover - the originator and force behind atmospheric dynamics - is not pressure.

It is temperature.

It only gets better from there!!    To read the rest, please visit:

     http://cometclones.com/illusion.htm

Thanks Rick!