Choosing a Flight Suit Knife

Nothing says you can't buy a knife now. Just don't expect to carry it as a pilot. Good advice on waiting to see how things shake out first before buying a knife you may not be allowed to carry. A decent pocket knife would likely come in handy between now and the time you come up for flight training and finally deployment. Buy it with your activities now and up until then in mind. :thumbup:
 
Could you consider also Spyderco C144CFPE Caly 3.5 Folding Knife ZDP-189, Carbon Fiber Handles.
 
A small fixed blade like the Ruana Smoke Jumper ( 1095 high carbon steel), or Falkniven F1 ( stainless).
 
Keep the oh shit I just crashed knife on your flight gear. In your flight suit you will only need a small knife to cut the paper to size for your smart pack, open MREs (oh wait not in the Navy), open mail, and maybe cut some food. A plus is if it fits in the shroud cutter pocket on your flight suit since that's the only one without a zipper. I've found that I like a Caly 3.5, leek, skeletool, or endura in that pocket. I brought a delica with a low ride clip on my last deployment and never needed anything more. I'm not a super cool jet dude tho, I fly Cobras. Your needs may vary.
 
As others have said, you wont have the opportunity to decide what you carry for quite awhle. Until then use the crap out of the normally issued camillus pilot survival knife and see what you think.That is what most Life Support shops issue aircrew. While not my favorite by far, my issued knife took a rediculous amount of abuse.Each life support shop is different and funds are spent differently with some taking input from their pilots and crews about gear selection. You might end up with a Life support shop that is high speed and already has quality gear to issue.But again practice skills before worrying about gear.the more you know the less gear you need.
And Thank You in advance for your service to our country.
 
I'd think an ESEE 3 or 4 with the serrated blade. The ESEE 5 would be great but that thing is HEAVY. Maybe not so heavy but if you crashed, survived more or less unhurt and had to walk out, you'd probably end of throwing it away...carry more water...it weights almost 20 oz.
 
My son uses a KaBar Warthog II folder as his flight suit "I need to cut something" knife, has the advantage of being inexpensive should it be lost, misplaced, borrowed, etc. He doesn't presently carry a fixed blade but if he did it would probably be a Becker Necker or Eskabar, he has to be able to conceal in civvies for many of his duties.
 
As others have already noted - ASEK, the Fallikniven F1, and I would also look at a Coye Ridgeback if you're wanting to spend a little more.

Most people in the military that buy their own blade usually go cheaper. If you're really worried about the specific purpose of cutting yourself out of wreckage, ASEK is a strong frontrunner for an investment that will meet your needs head on.
 
Get yourself a ZT 0300 and call it a day. The knife is strong as hell, the bearings are sealed to protect them from dirt, frame lock, and would probably perform just as well as a small fixed blade!
 
I flew fighters in the Air Force for 20 years. Carried a government issued auto with the shroud cutter open on a 4 foot or so lanyard. I carried it in the "pecker" pocket on the flight suit unless I was using a G suit, then in the leg pocket. I carried it any time I was in a fight suit even if not flying. I also carried that worthless fixed blade they issued in my survival vest.

No knife will cut you through the canopy or windshield of a fighter, not even those provided for that purpose.

Bottom line is don't decide until you see what they are issuing these days.
 
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If it's any indicator, Air Force Captain Scott O'Grady talked about his days on the ground hiding out in Bosnia, and his SAK was the handiest thing he had. The saw was used to make a blind to hide him from the enemy searching for him.
 
No pilot I, but I did do more than a dozen years in the infantry, and I think that the multitool option is probably the smartest for an EDC kind of thing. I am carrying a Leatherman Skeletool CX right this moment. It has a very nice 154CM main blade that is one hand opening and sharp as I can make it (shaving sharp), plus pliers, wire cutters, screw drivers, and most importantly, a bottle opener that is available without opening the tool.

Let me give a shout out to the Victorinox Alox Farmer. Small, light, elegant, and has a saw blade along with the usual knife, bottle opener, can opener, and awl. Very nice knife for very little money, really. I have an Alox Electrician which sacrifices the can opener for a second, smaller blade. Never be ashamed to carry more than one knife. I have four on me right this second, two are multitools. I keep one on my key chain; you can, too.

On the other hand, some of those Zero Tolerance knives, like the 0200, 0300, 0350, etc, are just sharpened prybars with assisted opening, which can be handy. I have a 0561 that I often stick in my back pocket in case I need to disembowel a zombie or something. I'm not carrying it today, sadly (I have a Benchmade Gold Class 531 in my back pocket today, not exactly a survival zombie slayer).

If you take that salt water thing seriously, you might take a look at the Spyderco products like the Salt series, which use H1 steel. I'm not sure it's possible to make H1 rust. Can be had in either plain or serrated blades, with pointy point or without. Not terribly expensive and can easily be replaced if you lose it.
 
Victorinox Pioneer. One layer thinner than the Farmer and can't see you needing the root saw.
 
During 28 years of military flying, I've carried one of three lanyarded Victorinox folders in my AF flight suit's crotch pocket: a Huntsman (used the scissors more than anything else except perhaps the main blade), a now-retired Safari NATO trooper (longer, thicker tools, nylon scales, hole through the handle, not some dinky split ring), and currently a Hunter XS (XT-CS) with orange and black dual density scales, locking large blade, locking serrated curved blade, and a corkscrew with tiny eyeglass screwdriver).
I've also ocassionally flown with a fixed blade in my lower right-leg pocket - either a Busse Active Duty or a Busse Game Warden (shown in my avatar photo with flight jacket and flight suit). Good Luck! (and keep the number of landings equal to the number of takeoffs)
 
...(and keep the number of landings equal to the number of takeoffs)

leghog: Isn't an aircraft's number of landings guaranteed to equal it's number of takeoffs with just the manner of a landing perhaps being a bit different?

Just another way of saying "Flying is not dangerous. Crashing is."
 
Of course you know the difference between a good landing and a great landing. A good landing, everyone walks away. A great landing, they can use the aircraft again.
 
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