Dilbert Dunkers

[Tenacious1]

I am looking for information on the early Dilbert Dunkers. From the few images and bits of information I have found in Google searches. The first ones were made from T-6/SNJ fuselage sections. I have not been able to find any in any museums anywhere. Later "Dilbert Dunkers" were made from different aircraft components and some were just fabricated structures to serve the purpose.
I believe my son and I have found two, T-6/SNJ based Dilbert Dunkers. Here is what has brought us to this:

About three years ago, my son and I found a couple T-6 cockpit sections behind a shed up in Homosassa Florida. Both were mostly just rusty front cockpit tubular sections with only a few internal cockpit parts attached. After we wrestled with the weeds and got them out where we could see them, we realized there were 1/2 inch solid stainless steel rods running along the bottom with pivots and levers. Not aircraft grade at all.
We hauled them home and noticed brackets, professionally made with part numbers on them. There were steel caps on the tubular front and rear with rusty bolts holding on rotted plywood front and back.
A bit of research and we found these were both T-6Gs by the side panels, one of which had a silkscreened date of 1 March 1950. One of them even had an original North American Aviation manufacturers plate on it that had never had any information stamped onto it. Looks like N.A.A. had regenerated older war weary T-6s/SNJs up to the T-6G configuration. We researched what kind of ground trainers were made from T-6 cockpits and the only ground trainer we could find information on were "Dilbert Dunkers". The heavy mechanical rod in linkage made sense then.
We were unable to find any Dilbert Dunkers in museums anywhere. These things must have saved numerous Navy and AAF pilots lives! We wanted to save them, as rough as they were. We decided the only practical way to save them, to tell the "Dilbert Dunker" story was to regenerate them into flight simulators.
So that's what we did, we regenerated them using actual North American parts where possible to be portable Flight Simulators. We even had a T-6 (Harvord) pilot who flies at Argentenian Air Shows use the T-6G to train his people.

 

[Snautzer01]

Nice piece of history.

 

[DDonSS3]

I made a few trips on the Dilbert Dunker during my naval career. I had no idea that they may have come from T-6s. The one I specifically remember was located at NAS Jacksonville during the mid-70s. They didn't give us much time to look at the thing. Just loaded us in, strapped us up and let fly (so to speak). A couple of minutes and we were done.
Thanks for bringing this bit of nostalgia back to life.
You guys have done great work and you've really done something to be proud of. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Tenacious1]

Thanks for your insight on your experience. I am not sure how late they were using the the T-6?SNJ based dunkers, they may have been replaced by the early 19706s. That would be interesting to know but there is so little information available on them. Thanks for the kind words.

 

[Barrett]

The DD that I rode at NAS Miramar in the 1980s was purpose-made rather than recycling SNJ or other cockpits. Strap in, thumb up, ride that hummer down the rails, hold your breath while it flips inverted, WAIT (the hard part) for motion to stop, then unstrap and surface.

There was a gal in the class who asked if she could do it again!

Then there was the helo dunker, which was NOT repeat NOT fun in any way, shape or form.

 

[SaparotRob]

...

Then there was the helo dunker, which was NOT repeat NOT fun in any way, shape or form.

I'm intrigued.

 

[MiTasol]

Never been in one but I know a lot of helicopter pilots hate the underwater escape trainers. I have never heard of them being called Dunkers before though but I like the name.

 

[fannum]

Helo dunkers were often diabolical, as they were usually configured to flop in different ways, so you couldn't be sure direction or where the hatch was. The escape dunker at Langley not only could take place at night but included loud wild noises and erratic lights.

Note that well into the 60s, it was common to slide the canopy back for carrier takeoff and landing to lessen chances of getting trapped.

 

[cammerjeff]

The DD that I rode at NAS Miramar in the 1980s was purpose-made rather than recycling SNJ or other cockpits. Strap in, thumb up, ride that hummer down the rails, hold your breath while it flips inverted, WAIT (the hard part) for motion to stop, then unstrap and surface.

There was a gal in the class who asked if she could do it again!

Then there was the helo dunker, which was NOT repeat NOT fun in any way, shape or form.

I rode the helo Dunker 2 times, with the lights on it was just very bad, but with the lights off, to say NOT fun in any way shape or form" is a very big understatement IMO! The rescue divers almost had to give me an air mask, but I did make it to the surface unassisted.