Cockpit axe

[P7HVN]

Received this from a co-worker recently. We work at a big Federal law enforcement academy. Several years ago one of the airlines donated a cockpit & partial fuselage to us, for airplane counter-measures training. One day he started rooting around all the panels and cubby holes and came upon this. From my research, it is a 1942-type USAAF "Aviator's Emergency Escape Axe". First two numbers of its serial number, 42D8331, indicate 1942. I think the "A" surrounded by wings is one of the USAAF's insignias. Much of the civilian industry adopted the same axe style and variations are still made today, with some of them using the same markings & serial numbers. So this could be a WW2-era axe, passed on to the airline industry, or one made up until the 80's. Kind of a neat find...

 

[The Zieg]

Received this from a co-worker recently. We work at a big Federal law enforcement academy. Several years ago one of the airlines donated a cockpit & partial fuselage to us, for airplane counter-measures training. One day he started rooting around all the panels and cubby holes and came upon this. From my research, it is a 1942-type USAAF "Aviator's Emergency Escape Axe". First two numbers of its serial number, 42D8331, indicate 1942. I think the "A" surrounded by wings is one of the USAAF's insignias. Much of the civilian industry adopted the same axe style and variations are still made today, with some of them using the same markings & serial numbers. So this could be a WW2-era axe, passed on to the airline industry, or one made up until the 80's. Kind of a neat find...

* darn, pic attachment didn't work from office... will post from photobucket later today, as my office blocks such links.

Is this it?

Zieg

 

[The Zieg]

This fellow gives some good detail.

[video]https://youtu.be/NdhtWnrxN-U[/video]

Zieg

 

[P7HVN]

Yep. :thumbup: Mine has a nice light coating of rust & a little wear on the handle...

 

[Lieblad]

Those are neat Zombie tool also.
Hard to say what that logo is without seeing it. But fwiw, 1942 there was no AirForce as we have today.

Anyway, that number is still valid, those axes are available new.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Those are neat Zombie tool also.
Hard to say what that logo is without seeing it. But fwiw, 1942 there was no AirForce as we have today.

Anyway, that number is still valid, those axes are available new.

Not technically as they were the US Army air corps, but there were aviation tool marked with AF back in ww2 👍

 

[tandanus]

Huh. Knew this look familiar; came across this a while back: https://hatchfive.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/raf-escape-axe/

That one's made by Elwell, a respected British toolmaker. But this one was made for the RAF.

I'd expect USAAF and RAF escape axes to look similar - but not identical (save for the cut-out - but even the shape's the same). I wonder what the history is? Who came up with the design? Did the US copy an Elwell design, or did Elwell copy the US design? Or did the Eighth only buy them once they got to Britain, realising the need?

It's interesting the 1942 version has the cut-out, but the 45 does not. I guess they didn't see the need to save that metal when the war was pretty much won, but in '42 there was a need for economy, especially in Britain.