The AXIS Pump and Glide or PNG range have become very popular as of late. This was one of the early ranges of high aspect ratio front wings to hit the foiling world, but still using pretty thick profiles. They are characterised by their low stall speed and good glide making them perfect for pumping but also other disciplines.
The original PNG wings were the 910, 1010 and 1150. The 910 and 1010 became very popular for winging, whilst the 1150 became the ultimate dock start front wing. Then AXIS released the PNG 1300. This wing looked nothing like the others. It was way higher aspect ratio at just under 10, vs around 7 for the others. It had long narrow tips and actually had a smaller surface area to the 1150. The wing did not really work like the others. It was harder to pump than the 1150, had a higher stall speed, and the large span made turning difficult. However one thing that was apparent, it had a much higher top speed. It developed a niche following for light wind winging.
Almost two years later in 2022, the PNG 1300 would suddenly find its calling as downwind foiling became more popular in the UK. High profile downwind athlete James Casey declared it the best front wing to learn to downwind on and suddenly they were flying off the shelves. Not only was it good for learning on, but because of its speed and incredible glide, it was perfect for smaller conditions.
In the same year AXIS released the PNG 1310 with a video of a rider pumping for over 17 minutes - by far smashing all previous records. This looked like a larger version of the 1150 though slightly higher aspect ratio at 8.53. This was the larger wing we had originally expected the 1300 to be. It was a large surface area pump wing with an incredibly low stall speed, allowing you to pump easily. This is the one for those looking to pump, dock start and maybe take their first steps into downwind.
