The needed removal of an old truck camper provided an opportunity to test extraction from a crashed aircraft. The camper is (was) of woodframe, duraluminum, plexiglass and fiberglass composite construction. On hand was the (in)famous MOD4 British survival knife ( I hope to repeat this with an USAF model.) I was able to extract myself through the sidepanel and plexiglass window ( amid barking dogs and whinnying horses) in exactly 10 minutes. There was nothing precise or surgical. You truly are hacking, butt hammering and ripping through diverse materials. The blade was somewhat dulled but still able to split green eucalyptus billets and start a fire with my metal match. I enjoyed the warmth as I easily resharpened the edge (while my ranch partner destroyed the trailer in seconds with a scraper equipped tractor.)


Edited by Chris Kavanaugh (04/11/02 05:30 AM)