ADVANCE XI — A High-B That Makes No Excuses for Being Light

Choosing a lightweight wing usually means giving up either weight or performance. The XI refuses that trade. It holds its own on glide against the Mentor 5 XS, it is sharper than the Rush 5 S in a thermal, and its brake gets lighter while carrying more information, not less. That character is selective, though. A linear, information-rich brake only earns its keep with a pilot who can read what it is saying. The same goes for wing loading: this is not a wing that punches through the air the way the Iota 2 does, so load it lightly and the forward drive — its real strength — dies with it. A wing that pays you back in performance for the walk up. But only if you can read what the brakes are telling you.