Yesterday turned out to be a very nice one for flying. I just bought a Radian from a friend and was keen to fly it for the first time. The winds on the field were variable in a way that I've often thought meant lift. I flew a several packs to get used the Radian. Twice on one flight I got lucky and entered a thermal. I was circling and noticed that the plane was getting pretty small and decided I should dive out. And then I reentered the thermal and did it again. Subsequently I transited plenty of thermals but was not able to ride any of them.

- Allen