aerial photography
 

Has anyone here put a camera window in a 337? Any idea where you could get one put in and how expensive? Anyone has any knowledge of how a 337 would do as an aerial photography platform, ie vibration?
Thanks,
Dan

I think Owen Bell has modified a cargo pod to hold a camera. Owen.bell@juno.com

Don Nieser has cameras and camera holes. They were used on 0-2's, and can be installed on a skymaster.

There are some flight control cables that have to be re-routed to accomodate the camera hole in the floor. Also the front right hand seat rails get changed out to accomodate the hole in the floor. Look at the illustrated parts catalog for your year model, towards the rear of the book, and you can see the details for the factory installation.

Its not as simple as cutting a hole in the belly for a camera.

Camera hole depends on what you want.

The small hole behind the pilots seat is easy. Seat rails are 10" apart so opening in the floor can be about 9". A bit wider on the outer skin. Floor depth at that point is 4.5”. Requires a doubler on the outer skin. It is in the earlier Cessna parts manuals so probably little paperwork required. Out here (in South Africa) anyway.

The big hole on the other side is about 19” diameter. That is a different matter altogether. It would be more economic to buy a complete 337 with it already fitted than to try to do a retrofit. Don’t even think about it.

Alternatively you could go the pop out baggage door route. One offering at http://www.aerotopol.com/html/aeroshift.html There are STC’s available for the 172, 206 and 210. Not sure about the 337 but it couldn’t be very difficult thing to do.

I have seen a 172 with the unit in the baggage door. It is not that big, and apparently works very well.
AirScan uses sensors mounted in the baggage door. Very effectively, too.

Alternative to cutting holes
 

This looks pretty cool. Don't know the price.

http://www.airbornescientific.com/bushplan.htm

I know this has been a while but...I am more interested in being able to take photos from a window which can open. Other than the little corner storm window that opens, do any of the Skymasters have a window that will open similar to the bird dogs or older single engine cessnas? Does the O-2 have a window you can open in flight from the pilot side or even from the passenger side on the O-2 door?

The O2 door allows the side window to crank up 90 degrees and is able to do so in-flight.

ipasgas:

I have an opening photo window in the left rear seat position in my airplane. I'll try and get a picture of it and post it. I had to trace an outline of the factory window and send it to the vendor to make the new window with the port.

Be aware that getting the old one out isn't any walk in the park. It's held in with riveted brackets that have to be drilled out and then re-riveted in around the new window. But it works great.

Joe

Pictures of older 337's, ie 1965-72, look like the right passenger window opens as well? Can it, too, be opened in flight?

Yes, but perhaps not all the way up. Attached is the image of the door of a 65-69 from the parts catalog, with two of the parts identified (I used to have a 69). I believe that the arm (part 18) limits travel, and also that 73 and later have a sufficiently different fuselage that you couldn't just put this door in a later model. Don Nieser could confirm this.

Ernie

If anyone has one of these windows, is there room enough to stick a camera lens out? Have you opened it in flight (would be slow flight for the photo)?

Yes, you can open the side window and fly around and take pics. I flew my 1970 in the islands often, low and slow with the window open. That being said, try not to have crap in the plane fly out and into the back prop.

Before I started my own operation, the leased airplane we used for the whale survey (a 1965 337) had an O2 door installed with a window that could be cranked all the way open in flight for photos. It really didn't stir things up in the cabin that badly, but it was a little chilly early in the year!

Joe