Dilbert Dunker
Encyclopedia
The Dilbert Dunker is a device for training pilot
s on how to correctly escape a submerged plane.
It was invented by Wilfred Kaneb, a nautical engineer, during World War II
.
The device was featured in the 1982
film, An Officer and a Gentleman
, starring Richard Gere
and Debra Winger
.
The word Dilbert is not listed in the dictionary although the term is used in the United States Navy to define a person who is slow witted and
incapable of getting things done correctly. It is combined with "dunker" because a mockup cockpit (SNJ in the 40's and 50's)is sent down
a 45 degree rail from a high stand at the deep end of the training pool, and at the end of the run under water it flips inverted to simulate
a water ditching. The preflight student must detatch the communication wire from the helmet, release the seat and shoulder harness, dive
still deeper and swim away from the "aircraft" at a 45 degree angle to the surface for the purpose of assuming that the water around an
actual situation has burning fuel on the waters surface.
Richard H. Cheney, Pensacola Preflight Class 39-55
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
s on how to correctly escape a submerged plane.
It was invented by Wilfred Kaneb, a nautical engineer, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The device was featured in the 1982
1982 in film
-Events:* March 26 = I Ought to Be in Pictures, starring Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret and Dinah Manoff is released. Manoff would not appear in another movie until 1987's Backfire.* June = PG-rated film E.T...
film, An Officer and a Gentleman
An Officer and a Gentleman
A Officer and a Gentleman is a 1982 American drama film that tells the story of a U.S. Navy aviation officer candidate who comes into conflict with the Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant who trains him. It was written by Douglas Day Stewart and directed by Taylor Hackford...
, starring Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
and Debra Winger
Debra Winger
Mary Debra Winger is an American actress. Three-times an Oscar nominee, she received awards for acting in Terms of Endearment, for which she won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress in 1983, and in A Dangerous Woman, for which she won the Tokyo International Film Festival...
.
The word Dilbert is not listed in the dictionary although the term is used in the United States Navy to define a person who is slow witted and
incapable of getting things done correctly. It is combined with "dunker" because a mockup cockpit (SNJ in the 40's and 50's)is sent down
a 45 degree rail from a high stand at the deep end of the training pool, and at the end of the run under water it flips inverted to simulate
a water ditching. The preflight student must detatch the communication wire from the helmet, release the seat and shoulder harness, dive
still deeper and swim away from the "aircraft" at a 45 degree angle to the surface for the purpose of assuming that the water around an
actual situation has burning fuel on the waters surface.
Richard H. Cheney, Pensacola Preflight Class 39-55