Belly Photo Port
 

Can anyone vector me to some info on installation of a belly photo port on non-pressurized 337s, any STCs that have been done, etc.? I did a search on the forum but came up dry.

Thanks -
Capt Ahab

Old Post:

06-29-02, 04:57 AM
Don Nieser Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 47

337 camera port

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Please contact me. I parted out a T337 with a camera port and I still have many of the parts. Also I have all the parts for the camera port for the 0-2A aircraft.
Don Nieser
Commodore Aerospace Corp
6221 Commodore lane
Oklahoma City OK 73162
405-722-4079 phone and FAX
405-503-4686 hangar cell phone
nieser.02.337parts@juno.com

I don't think the camera port is an STC, since it was a factory option. Anyone else care to comment?

Thanks
 

Appreciate the info so far. I didn't even know this was a factory option. Anybody else who can shed more light (so to speak) on such an installation, please weigh in!

Joe (Capt Ahab)

Camera Hole
 

The cessna camera hole was a option from S/N 33701463 through 33701874, it's shown in the IPC figure 37A. it's right behind the copilot's seat rails, I'll try to attach a pic of what it looks like from inside. I dont know of any STC'd camera provisions for the 337, however depending on the type of shooting you are planning on do there are several strut mount platforms that may be adaptable to your uses (http://www.lastrefuge.co.uk/), and it looks like a company has put together a very nice package for the singles (172,182) over at (http://www.airbornescientific.com/content/cessnacam).

hope this helps

cC

Strut Mount
 

There was a company in Detroit, about 8 years ago, that had a video camera mounted to the strut of a 337. I don't remember the name of the company, but the Skymaster was bright red.

I believe that is Wolfe Air.

http://www.wolfeair.com/wa_templates/wa-cessna.html

yup
 

That's it.
Big Red

Here are some pictures of the belly

http://www.337skymaster.com/messages...1&d=1303666900

http://www.337skymaster.com/messages...1&d=1303666900

http://www.337skymaster.com/messages...1&d=1303666900

There are in fact two possible camera holes in the 337. A small one behind the pilots seat and a large one more or less underneath the co-pilots seat. Both appear in the parts manual so can theoretically be retrofitted with minimal paper work.

The big hole, which Cessna offered as a factory option, also often came with an electrically operated sliding outer door. I doubt it would be practical to retrofit this large hole to an existing aircraft. It requires a completely different floor sub frame, different control cable routing, etc..

The small hole is dead easy but you are limited to about a 6" diameter on the cabin floor. Wider on the outer skin.

I can send you detailed dimensions and pics if you are interested.

Any details would be much appreciated; can send to joechr@msn.com so as not to clog up the forum. From what little I've been able to glean, the factory option was only on later, 1970s vintage airplanes? Does that sound right? We had the airplane interior, including floor panels, pretty well stripped over the winter and I didn't notice any spots that looked like possible cutouts for a belly port. Of course I wasn't really looking for that at that point.
Joe

I don't think so. One of ours is a 1965 model and it was built with both the 19" hole, the 6" hole and the sliding door. I will dig out some pics and manual pages and dimensions and email them as soon as I have a few minutes spare.

Hi Robw,

I've been requested to fit some photo survey gear into my 1969 model D for a sizeable contract so if there are some drawings that can be followed without moving controls and big stuff like that I would really appreciate a copy. The plne has a pod but I can easily drop that off!

Cheers