Oh, here's another tip: the more stable you fly (or the plane flies) the easier it is to see disturbances (like thermals) in the air.

You should trim the plane so it flies straight and on its shallowest stable glideslope completely "hands off", with the stick at neutral. Even better, you should be able to put the plane into a shallow bank and hold it there with very little back pressure on the stick. Turns should be perfectly coordinated; aileron differential can reduce or eliminate the need for rudder. After your cg is set, adjust elevator trim and aileron differential so you can fly the plane almost effortlessly.

This can be really thrilling if you get the trim right. My aircraft (in AFPD and real life) are trimmed out so well it feels like all I'm doing is "suggesting" to the plane where to go and it flies there all by itself. Which is good because the plane flies itself better than I can.

Clark