Is this Ontario Jet Pilot Survival Knife (real or knockoff)
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EdCaffreyMS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
That is real. I spent a career in the Air Force, and have seen/handled literally thousands of those. Just because of the sheer numbers produced/distributed, there's not much value, unless you can find one in MINT condition with the packaging and sharpening stone..... then they are worth a couple hundred dollars in certain circles of collectors.
They were not much copied, simply because it's a rather poor design, who's best use was as a hammer (the buttcap). The blades were/are notoriously soft, and were/are more often used as a digging tool versus a cutting implement. The military contract made the company, because at the time, Ontario was the only bid for the contract, and remained so for at least 3 decades to my knowledge.
They were not much copied, simply because it's a rather poor design, who's best use was as a hammer (the buttcap). The blades were/are notoriously soft, and were/are more often used as a digging tool versus a cutting implement. The military contract made the company, because at the time, Ontario was the only bid for the contract, and remained so for at least 3 decades to my knowledge.
EdCaffreyMS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
I still see them in local pawn shops all the time for $5-$10, in significantly better condition then the one pictured.
Smallshop
KNIFE MAKER
Nothing like no competition to keep quality low...lol.
EdCaffreyMS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
Search for pawn shops in Great Falls, Montana. Malmstrom AFB sits just on the east end of town, so there's all kinds of military items floating around town. I'd also suspect that any location where there is, or where there was an Air Base would be similar. I know I still have some M16 bayonets around the shop..... I'll look and see if I still have any of those knives. If I do, I'll let you know, and you can have it for the cost of shipping.
Fyi. The numbers on the pommel were for month and year of manufacture. To my knowledge Ontario is latest maker of that blade. You will find early pilot survival knives made by Marble(prototype mostly sold to civilian market), Camillus, and as Ed stated, for the last couple decades Ontario.
Merle
Well-Known Member
I think FIF had the contestants once make one of these pilot knives, probably during one of the salute to military series of episodes. It looks familiar, I remember the serrated spine feature.
If made to a higher / better quality it looks like it could be a useful survival type blade, in that you could slice, saw and pound with it.
-andy
If made to a higher / better quality it looks like it could be a useful survival type blade, in that you could slice, saw and pound with it.
-andy