Gradient Avax XC 5 26 — An Aspect Ratio 7 EN-D With Strong Brake Authority

Top speed is about the same as the Aspen 5's, and in very weak conditions the Aspen 5 climbs better. The reason to pick the XC 5, then, is not speed or weak-day climbing but handling that turns precisely inside a thermal. The surge after the wing pitches back on entry into strong thermals has to be stopped with the brakes, so it suits pilots who have already handled the pitch movement of a D.