Knife for a pilot

R

robvc

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Feb 1, 2012
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So my younger brother is in the process of becoming a pilot and getting ready to get his flight instructor license in a few months. I was thinking as a "graduation gift" I would get him a good quality knife to carry in the cockpit. I want something that would be a fantastic survival knife in case his plane goes down. I was dead set on the ESEE 5 since it was designed as a downed pilots knife. But then a buddy mentioned the Becker BK2 and how similar they are. It looks like a great knife and my buddy says it is a good alternative but I wanted to get your guys opinion on the two knives. Or if you think another knife would be better I would welcome the advice. I'm sorry if this it the wrong category to post this kind of question. If it is just point me in the right direction or move the thread or whatever haha. Thanks in advance!
 
Chris Reeve Aviator (if you can find one)

Calico Forge MK41 (or similar)

Randall #1, #14, #15 or 18 with sawteeth

These would all be great cockpit knives
 
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BK-2 is an awesome knife but heavy.

The Fallkniven F1 is the official survival knife issued to pilots in the Swedish air force and one heck of a knife.
 
ozgooner said:
The Fallkniven F1 is the official survival knife issued to pilots in the Swedish air force and one heck of a knife.
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I have one of those and it is truly a great knife. If you could find a custom Kydex seath for it (orange goes great with the black handle, but not sure if it would fit their color schemes), it would be even better. That way you can attach it inverted or whatever. The stock plastic seath is secure enough for most tasks but doesn't not hold the knife well upside down. Also a firesteel loop would be a great addition.

Mikel
 
Maybe not the answer you are looking for, but something like a SAK or Leatherman will serve him very well in all those times that his plane doesn't crash into the wilderness.

(Also, it might be worth considering if "Congratulations on becoming a pilot...here's a knife for when you crash." is the message you want to send. :D)

All that said, you can't miss with the Becker. People love it.
 
I'm sit in the back of an Air Force AWACS, I always fly with a Fehrman Last Chance. Great knife, if a bit heavy. The Doug Ritter fixed blades are also made specifically for survival situations (http://www.equipped.com/) and are nicely priced.

Another option rather then a knife might be a survival kit if he doesn't have one. A small knife and a collection of various tools/equipment. You can check out some on the equipped to survive website or there are plenty of people who have opinions on here if you want to build your own. Also something I always fly with.



Of course, if my plane wrecks no ones walking away from it and surviving, but it's nice to have all the same. :)
 
All these big knives are great if they stowed away in a go bag in an event of a crash landing. If they decide to have it on there person if they parachute that will mighty painful doing a parachute landing fall
 
Most of the commercial pilots around here carry a folder (such as a Sypderco delica or lock blade SAK) or a multi-tool on their person.

The larger knives that some people are suggesting would be a good fit for an aircraft survival kit which is stowed in the back of plane/rotary wing.
 
brets-ftw said:
Ontario ASEK (Aircrew Survival Egress Knife) is specifically made for pilots. that would be my choice

http://www.ontarioknife.com/catalog/item/1
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I still have the old version of this knife that Uncle Sugar issued me ~40 years ago when I started flying. Has been used and abused on all seven continents and never let me down. Better knives are availble now, though. If I was starting today, I'd toss the Ontario in a drawer and replace it with an F1 or BK2 along with a multi-tool or SAK. The bag I keep in my plane now has an F1 and an old Leatherman of some sort. I keep a SAK Tinker in the glove box.

That being said, I've used cheap, disposable box knives more than any other knife while I was flying.
 
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Ritter RSK MK-2. Same fantastic handles as the BK-2, but lighter and with slightly more blade length. Like the Esee 5, the RSK MK-2 is produced by Rowen, so both blades have similar high quality and heat treats.
 
Gerber LMF 2 Survival Coyote Brown, molle capable, has a glass breaker, strap cutter, serrated edge.
 
I would second the Ontario ASEK. I'm not a pilot but I have two of these knives. The ASEK is specifically designed to get out of vehicles, namely aircraft, and then serve as an all purpose survival knife. The quality if this knife is excellent and is very apparent as soon as it's handled. The sheath which contains the strap cutter can be worn in many different ways. The pommel has a built in glass breaker and the handle is insulated against electrical shock. I happened to think this is also one of the best "urban" survival knives available.
 
Hmmm, there are a number of fixed blade options here but is he really going to carry that big of a blade on a daily basis? I like the idea of a Benchmade 915. It has a safety hook (great if you had to cut yourself out of a seatbelt), glass breaker(say the doors are jammed), and a great safty blade. This combined with a multi-tool would be awesome.
 
Just an FYI, but most aircraft windows are acrylic plastic. A glass breaker is virtually useless in an airplane. You need a heavy, thick blade to puncture the plastic and pry it out of the frame. That's why the ESEE-5 and BK2 are often mentioned as aircraft escape tools. I have a crash axe mounted above each door in my plane for that purpose.

Mine are both surplus and 30+ years old, but they are almost identical to this one:

ca1.jpg


Any pilot supply shop should have them and they should be standard equipment on all aircraft. But, of course, they aren't... :(
 
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