Originally posted by Bluto
Actually the wood blades are great for learing to auto, I would never recommend learing with expensive blades unless you have cash to burn. Pete O'Connor is right as far as the SAB's being better for auto's, just a little expensive to replace them when you have a boom strike and you will have one when learning.
He's also right about areobatics, but once again the wood blades will take you through loops, roll's, flips and inverted. When you advance beyond these maneuvers then you will want to get better blades.
Well Finally, another guy that is as much a "pain in the Ass". about correctness as myself.
Glad to meet ya!! FWIW, decent wood blades, that "I would use are about $25. In our club, being able to buy SAB glassers for under $40 delivered, IMO, is worth the difference in price. Also, the SAB's "basically" never need balancing, so the amount of time and effort to balance the woodies, again, makes the SAB's more practical.
Continuing, I must disagree about learning autos with woodies. And please Bluto, comment, since I realize you and I can disagree without getting "catty".
OK...... so, my reasoning for not using the woodies, is first, the price is not that different (under $15). Next, doing the auto for the first couple of times is really scary, plus a mistake will cost more than a set of blades, not to mention rebuild time. So, "anything" to make the first efforts easier is "priceless". And, for a mere $15 (pricing difference), IMO, the SAB are a best choice, Furthermore, the woodies just plain suck for autos, and in a bad situation, even a good flyer will have their hands full trying to auto the woodies. So, why use the woodies, which are really not easy, at all, to auto.
Oh, and we don't to hash over the "W and P" problem,
, but wouldn't you agree, the SAB's go a "long way" to fix and eliminate the problem. And the woodies, because of the rear CG. and rearward center of blade lift, exacerbate the problem. That is, for the average, everyday, run of the mill newbie????
Pete