Estate Sale Find #2 - Jet Pilot Knife aka USAF Survival Knife

[s&wchad]

I picked this knife up at the same sale where I got the floral carved rifle case. It was priced at $60 and hadn’t sold 2 hours into the sale. I don’t really collect these and wouldn’t normally pay that much for a run of the mill example, but I recognized this as an early Camillus Jet Pilot Knife with a 6” blade (1958-1961). Most of these USAF Survival Knives have a nominal 5” blade.

This is a type II knife with a peened on pommel. Type I knives have a screw on pommel. The sheath is a type III, with the high retaining strap. The kinfe likely dates to 1960-61 and appears unused.

When I got home, I dug through my footlocker with military knives and bayonets that I’ve accumulated over the years and found these two (on the right). The middle one is a Vietnam era undated 5” Camillus (1962-1966). The one on the far right is a 5” Ontario dated 5-‘94.

I never intended to collect these, but it seems I now have a decent representative collection showing the basic changes made over the years. Maybe some day I’ll get real lucky and find an early 6” Marble’s Jet Pilot Knife (Gladstone, MI)! They design the knife, but lost the government contract to Camillus because of cost.

If you have any Jet Pilot/USAF Survival knives, please post them. It’s an interesting knife with a number of manufacturers and variations.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Nice find.
The original 6 inch blade was a Navy Knife.
Later the blade was shortened to 5”, the AF and others got them.
I carried mine in a Nylon Bag sewn to the thigh on my G Suit.
This well known F-4 Pilot is carrying his on his Parachute Harness.

 

[Marshwheeling]

There is a current thread on Bladeforums entitled “Ka-Bar’s unpopular MK I”. Interesting differences between the current Ka-Bar and the older knives pictured here. Maybe it would be more popular if it had kept the cool hex pommel.

Ka-Bar's unpopular MK1 | BladeForums.com

It is also interesting to note that the Kabar version with a stacked leather handle currently goes for $79 on Amazon. A Kraton handle is $64. Whoever priced your knife at that estate sale obviously had some idea of what it was worth.

 

[waffles]

I had a NOS post Vietnam one and a used Vietnam era one as a kid. Patrick Swayze had one tied upside down onto his pack strap on the box for Red Dawn, which was enough to get my interest. Neither of them were particularly sharp, held an edge well, or were great as knives generally so I sold them off, they look damn cool though and every time I see one I want to love it.

 

[vrichard]

The one I have is marked Camillus,NY 3/1966
Dick

 

[rbrbrb6]

Only one I have had is the Randall A/F knife I bought for my son in law who flies for the pararescue jumpers.

 

[s&wchad]

It is also interesting to note that the Kabar version with a stacked leather handle currently goes for $79 on Amazon. A Kraton handle is $64. Whoever priced your knife at that estate sale obviously had some idea of what it was worth.

They may have known what a currently manufactured knife goes for, but they obviously didn’t know about vintage JPK’s.

This sold on ebay several months ago. Others have brought more.

 

[Flattop5]

I have seen many of those pilot's knives, but have never owned one. The closest thing to that which I have owned is this Navy Seal knife, which I did not like, for several reasons (the blade grind was horrible, the steel was lame). I later sold it. (This one is not mine).

---------------

 

[bigolddave]

In 1966, on a deer hunting trip to the UP, we stopped at Marble Arms, several of us bought the survival knives for $6 each. They were either overruns or seconds, I'm not sure which. Sold them a few years ago for well over a hundred apiece.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Marble designed and built the original 6” blade version for the Navy.

 

[ordnanceguy]

If you have any Jet Pilot/USAF Survival knives, please post them. It’s an interesting knife with a number of manufacturers and variations.

Okey doke. Here is a very old pic of a few of the blades in my JPSK collection.



They are indeed very interesting blades with a long service history. Be aware that these were not just USAF issue but instead came to be used by all branches of the US military including the Coast Guard.

Heck, it was such a good design that it was also used by our Allies. See the image below from 1971 taken in the Mekong Delta. It shows Naval Airman Michael Aves of Queensland in front of a UH-1 helicopter. At the time the Royal Australian Navy Helicopter Flight Viet Nam was attached to the US Army's 135th Assault Helicopter Co. Airman Aves is wearing a JPSK. He is also wearing a locally made buscadero/cowboy rig to carry his S&W Model 10 .38 Special. (Am I touching all bases here with this image or what?!?) Those rigs were popular with US and allied airmen throughout the war.



Regards,
Charlie

 

[AJ]

Our Flight Equipment shop had those in a box in the shop. The aircrews seemed to prefer Ka-Bars.

 

[30-30remchester]

I have had a few dozen Vietnam issue JPSK's in various condition. I don't care for the new in box items. I like the used look. My favorite was a well used knife I got from the Vietnam vet that carried it. He said if I bought it he would tell me the true tales of the 3 times it drew blood in Nam. Could not resist, so I forked over the money and got the stories. Thinking him to be a front line grunt to have drawn blood with it, I found out he was a mechanic and the 3 times it drew blood was when he cut himself with it when he was using it to scrape gaskets. A kid I watched grow up, went to Afghanistan as a Marine and came back wounded and suffering from severe PTSD. Looking through my military knife collection I offered him any knife he wanted and of course he took the JPSK with the Nam story.

 

[tndrfttom]

This topic made me go looking for this 5-inch knife I’ve had so long I forgot where it came from. I never paid much attention to it because it didn’t have a maker’s name on it. For some reason the end of the pommel is painted gray. Any ideas on who the maker was?

 

[BAM-BAM]

The MkI Ka-bar reproduction is my fixed blade utility knife in the mountains of Pa. Not to big... not to small!

 

[30-30remchester]

This topic made me go looking for this 5-inch knife I’ve had so long I forgot where it came from. I never paid much attention to it because it didn’t have a maker’s name on it. For some reason the end of the pommel is painted gray. Any ideas on who the maker was?

Look closely at the 6 squares on the nut. Camillus should be written along with a date. I have had several that were painted as yours and I have never heard a logical explanation.

 

[tndrfttom]

Look closely at the 6 squares on the nut. Camillus should be written along with a date. I have had several that were painted as yours and I have never heard a logical explanation.

Thank you! Yes, it says Camillus N.Y. 5-1973 on one of the flats. It looks like the lettering was stamped then parkerized(?) making it hard to see.

 

[s&wchad]

Look closely at the 6 squares on the nut. Camillus should be written along with a date. I have had several that were painted as yours and I have never heard a logical explanation.

DO NOT remove the grey paint! It was applied at the factory per government specification, starting in 1966.

I’ve heard that the paint was applied to make the knife easier to find in the dark, but I believe it was intended to prevent salt water from getting into the tang. The paint was later changed to black.

 

[PALADIN85020]

Here's a pic of my high school ROTC buddy 1/LT Ed Cribb preparing to fly an Amy Mohawk observation plane mission in Vietnam. As you can see, he has a Pilot Survival Knife attached to his right suspender.

Ed was killed in action in 1963.

I have a PSK in my collection of military knives, but it's buried in the vault somewhere - don't know its variation, but it has the shorter knife blade.

John

 

[austintexas]

I still have the one I brought back from Vietnam, It's dated 1967, Doesn't look as nice as yours. I also brought back a M1 carbine bayonet dated '67 that I picked up over there. Phu-Cat 1968-1969. Never saw a bayonet for my M-16.
SWCA 892