When pilots get on the plane, in addition to a self-defense pistol, they must also carry a pilot's parachute knife, which is a special saber carried by pilots, and its main function is to cut the parachute rope.
The first generation of domestic parachute knives in New China is the Type 63 pilot parachute knife,It is an imitation of the umbrella knife of an American pilot captured in the 60s.
The whole is in the form of a folding knife similar to a multi-purpose electrician's knife, with a red plastic handle and irregular uneven concave and convex lines that are non-slip.
Fold on both sides, with a straight knife at one end and a hook knife at the other. Copper switch buttons are available on both sides of the shank, and when pressed the button, the blade pops out from the side and locks automatically. The hook knife has a steel hanging loop at one end for easy parachute line attaching.
It is 29 centimeters long when fully opened, and less than 10 centimeters when folded, which is short and concise, easy to carry, and has been deeply loved by the majority of pilots since it was equipped with troops.
The scabbard is sewn from cowhide and has a leather loop that can be worn on a belt and is usually placed next to the pistol holster for easy access.
The packaging of the factory is relatively simple, the folded state is brushed with a layer of butter to prevent rust, the outer bread is covered with moisture-proof oiled paper, and the outermost layer is an ordinary transparent plastic bag.
To remove butter, you generally need to boil it in boiling water and then rub it repeatedly with a cloth.
The original military ones have an engraved number on the side.
The body of the Type 63 pilot's parachute knife is made of stainless steel with a layer of chrome plating, which was a very advanced process at the time.
The benefits of chrome plating are many, such as rust and corrosion protection, increased hardness and wear resistance, improved sharpness of the blade, and so on.
The used pilot's evaluation of the 63 parachute knife is still good: when the parachute rope is twisted together, you can easily cut off part of the parachute rope with a hook knife to ensure that the parachute is opened normally, if the main parachute is really not opened, the safety buckle is also damaged and the main parachute is not thrown away, and the main parachute can be directly cut off.
If you hang on a tree after a jump, you can cut the parachute line and tie it to the tree and slide it down to the ground. After parachuting to the ground, the safety buckle of the parachute cannot be opened, so you can use it to cut off the parachute strap and get out in time.
Falling into a hostile environment after parachuting can be used as a **, falling into an environment that cannot be rescued temporarily, or it can be used as a survival knife.
Of course, there are some problems, such as folding knives are not as easy to operate as straight knives, plastic handles are not durable, the production process is rough, the chrome plating layer is seriously corroded, and the switch button is easy to accidentally touch and pop up and hurt yourself.
Type 63 pilot parachute knife equipment time is short, the production quantity is relatively small, complex and fragile folding mechanism is easy to damage, so it is difficult to find good quality of the original product on the market, this kind of folding parachute knife is rare in the world, the collection value is extremely high.