Aeromatics were popular on Swift's, and the one thing I know for sure is that 
the Swift Association has been encouraging if not PLEADING with Swifters still 
using them to get them OFF their airplanes. I am not familiar with the exact 
method used to hold the wooden blades to the prop hubs except that they were 
held on with large wood srcews. As the blades aged and dried out (some dryrotted) 
the screws would loosen slightly. Aeromatics became blade shedders, and were 
good at it. You NEVER want to experience shedding a blade in flight. 
If an Aeromatic displays any blade looseness and cannot be retightened to 
factory specs (and they usually cannot or they loosen again within a few 
flight hours) they are of course unairworthy. Univair used to own the
manufacturing rights and PMA to the Aeromatic but sold them. 

According to the Tips & Techniques Books, Vol. 1. page 339, 
Mr. Kent Tarver, P.O. Box 223, LaCanada, Calif., 91012, now owns (as of 1997) 
the rights to the Aeromatic. New blades are not available although the rumor 
is persistent that Tarver is working on getting new blades made and approved 
by the FAA. Big question to me is, why? The fixed pitch metal props we are 
using are better overall than the '40's technology Aeromatics. 
The Swift Association feels that the best place to mount an Aeromatic 
is over your fireplace!