Looking for old four or five point harnesses for Helo Dunker Trainer

[SARNorm]

Hi All-

Does anyone have any old four or five point harnesses they want to donate to a County SAR unit? We are upgrading our Helo dunker trainer, and would like to replace the two sets of harnesses that we use to practice underwater egress. Thanks,  Norm

[carusoam]

Hooker Harness knows two important things…

Holding bodies in place and aviation….

Got any pics of your dunker?

https://www.hookerharness.com/aviation.html

 

Mooneys don’t have much of a history for 4 and five place harnesses… so I have less than usual to offer….

-a-

[SARNorm]

Here are a couple of photos of the dunker. The SAR pilots, crew chiefs, and rescue techs are dunked forward and backwards, with and without block-out goggles. It's quite an interesting experience. Our DART team SCUBA members act as safety monitors underwater during the dunking. Again, I'm looking for run-out four and five point harnesses that we can use to replace the harnesses in the dunker. They will not be flying or considered airworthy. Thanks, Norm

[EricJ]

Ask around local race organizations (SCCA, NASA) for expired harnesses to donate.   They age out per the rules and get replaced periodically.

 

[AH-1 Cobra Pilot]

Not the big, black tube with 6 or 8 seats that I went through.

[A64Pilot]

3 hours ago, AH-1 Cobra Pilot said:

Not the big, black tube with 6 or 8 seats that I went through.

NAS Jax?

[AH-1 Cobra Pilot]

13 hours ago, A64Pilot said:

NAS Jax?

NAS Pensacola.  I also did a DWEST refresher in San Diego, but I do not remember if they had the Helo Dunker and/or the Dilbert Dunker.

[M016576]

14 hours ago, AH-1 Cobra Pilot said:

NAS Pensacola.  I also did a DWEST refresher in San Diego, but I do not remember if they had the Helo Dunker and/or the Dilbert Dunker.

I’m pretty sure NAS North Island has a helo dunker… just because they have so many 60’s there.. although I’ve never seen it.

 

I do know NAS Lemoore has a helo dunker- I took a few trips through that thing back in the day.  And of course the one atNAS Pensacola, as well.

[AH-1 Cobra Pilot]

1 minute ago, M016576 said:

I’m pretty sure NAS North Island has a helo dunker… just because they have so many 60’s there.. although I’ve never seen it.

 

I do know NAS Lemoore has a helo dunker- I took a few trips through that thing back in the day.  And of course the one atNAS Pensacola, as well.

My DWEST was at NAS Miramar.  They probably moved it all to North Island after the Marines took over Miramar.

The Dilbert Dunker was more fun, but the Helo Dunker scared more people, especially when they had to wear the blackout goggles.  It was best to sit there for as long as you could in order to not get kicked in the face when you all had to go out through the main door.

[M016576]

33 minutes ago, AH-1 Cobra Pilot said:

My DWEST was at NAS Miramar.  They probably moved it all to North Island after the Marines took over Miramar.

The Dilbert Dunker was more fun, but the Helo Dunker scared more people, especially when they had to wear the blackout goggles.  It was best to sit there for as long as you could in order to not get kicked in the face when you all had to go out through the main door.

I remember that feeling all too well (getting kicked in the face upside down underwater with blackout goggles on).  Makes one appreciate their hand hold references!

[A64Pilot]

On 2/10/2022 at 12:09 AM, AH-1 Cobra Pilot said:

  It was best to sit there for as long as you could in order to not get kicked in the face when you all had to go out through the main door.

That is exactly what I did, blacked out or not, but I’m very comfortable in the water. Watching the crowd trying to fit out the opening was funny

What is DWEST?

Did you play with the HEEDS bottles? Navy didn’t have us do that, only time I did was Camp Humphries in Korea.

Edited February 15, 2022 by A64Pilot

[AH-1 Cobra Pilot]

20 minutes ago, A64Pilot said:

What is DWEST?

Did you play with the HEEDS bottles? Navy didn’t have us do that, only time I did was Camp Humphries in Korea.

Deep Water Environment Survival Training.  This has a good account of it.  The also attached article highlights the two at-the-time trainers I got to fly.  https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/pdf/train-06.pdf

My helicopter pilot compatriots used a HEEDS.  If I had ejected, I would still have had an oxygen mask attached to a small bottle in my seat pan.  We did practice using those underwater.

[A64Pilot]

Your pic shows you wearing a helicopter helmet, and your screen name indicates a Cobra driver, but you flew fixed wing?

The HEEDS sucked, we weren’t wearing a mask of course and they wouldn’t let us squeeze our nose shut, so of course we got our sinuses flushed with chlorine pool water. To say nothing about doing it in an outdoor pool in Korea in January. Your mask would have been much better

Edited February 16, 2022 by A64Pilot

[AH-1 Cobra Pilot]

15 hours ago, A64Pilot said:

Your pic shows you wearing a helicopter helmet, and your screen name indicates a Cobra driver, but you flew fixed wing?

The HEEDS sucked, we weren’t wearing a mask of course and they wouldn’t let us squeeze our nose shut, so of course we got our sinuses flushed with chlorine pool water. To say nothing about doing it in an outdoor pool in Korea in January. Your mask would have been much better

I am/was qualified in and flew:

T-34
T-2
A-4
T-39
T-43
S-3
O-2
UH-1
AH-1
OH-58
C-12

I also got a chance to fly a T-37 and a KC-135.  If not for working for a shit, I would have also added UH-60, C-23, and UC-35 to the list.  Yes, I have gold and silver wings.