The Axis Venus is a high performance glider intended for those wanting maximum efficiency. It delivered nicely in that category.
My time with this glider was only one day, with only had a few flights in November, 2009. It was the small size, 23 sq meters and I flew it on a peppy Paratour SD 100. It had motor risers meaning that it had speedbar and trimmers, as you would expect.
Handling (6): In the larger size this would have middling handling but, at 23 squares, this one was pretty good. Brake input doesn’t pull into a dive quite as much as its beginner sibling, the pluto. Strange there, since you’d expect higher performance models would be more responsive but I suspect that’s because of its free-flight origins where easy diving from brake input is avoided.
Inflation (-): It came up easily, even while doing reverses in a light wind. High aspect ratio means it won’t be as forgiving of crooked starts but this one behaved well and predictably.
Kiting (4): Kiting was standard for a high aspect ratio, high performance, non-reflex wing. I did very little kiting with a harness and nothing in high winds.
Efficiency (7): Boy would I love to measure this one’s glide cause it sure feels good! During spot landings it was almost like cheating to let off the brakes: pick up a small dive and let ‘er float. That made easy work of the spot landing, much like other high efficiency wings that I’ve flown.
Speed (-): I didn’t take the GPS with me nor did I try the speedbar which wasn’t hooked up during my flights. I flew with some other pilots but don’t know their wing loading so it’s impossible to even suggest speeds.
Certification & Safety (6): The Small model I flew is certified EN D which means its intended for competition level pilots who are willing to handle the attendant risk. But at least its certified! The XS model that would be appropriate for my light weight is not certified.
I didn’t get to try it with speedbar or doing cloverleafs and so I can’t comment on how it will handle flying through its own wake while fully accelerated. Testing here would be important in my estimation because even reflex gliders can behave badly when flying through the inevitable wake turbulence of a cloverleaf.
Construction: It seems well built with standard risers.
Warrantee: No information here.
Overall: Clearly this is for experienced pilots who are seeking efficiency under power, maybe free flight soaring and moderate speed.
Be careful and enjoy.