[n86121]

Do you have a doc or other showing the original thickness of the 336 windshields?

I'm doing some research.

It seems the original windshields may have been thinner, but I am looking for history.

Early on, the windshield center strap served to:

1. Mounting for the then universal through-windshield temp probe, and
2. To hold the then-universal wet compass.

There was nothing else at the time except a remote compass.

Both compass and temp have since been commonly-replaced by vertical card compass and digital temp probe.

3. It MAY have also been the best way to get clear plexiglas was to make it thinner.

4. Also, older plastics would inevitably become brittle and hazy over time.

Modern acrylic windshields are apparently made with natural gas and are totally inert. Essentially un affected by sun/UV nor age.

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Around 1973-76 (?) Cessna stopped making TWO 337 airframes and consolidated to one ''pressurized-style" airframe: Split door, no rear cargo door, 5 seats, smaller round windows easier to seal for pressurization, simpler two-tank design, etc. One could get this airframe pressurized or not.

At that point the much-debated center strap WAS clearly widened to become part of the airframe, as was perhaps needed for pressurized models to help retain windshield.

Pretty much every other cessna already has an option to remove the center strap, but nobody seems to have formalized that for the 337, although a common-practice.