Camera Port STCs for Cessnas

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weilke

Touchdown! Greaser!
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weilke
What STCs are available for camera ports on the 1-series Cessnas ? Are there any or are the ports that you sometimes see all field approvals ?

I have seen Cessnas with the exhaust carried down the side for aerial photography, is this STC'ed by anyone or a one-of on a 337 ?

I have seen some Cessnas with ports, I have never looked into how these ports are approved. I would want to keep the plane in the normal category and useable for other purposes, so something home-hacked with the plane in experimental R&D category wouldn't work.
 
weilke said:
What STCs are available for camera ports on the 1-series Cessnas ? Are there any or are the ports that you sometimes see all field approvals ?.
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Take a single screw out of the copilot side window and it opens up and out to lay flat against the bottom of the wing in flight with a thin layer of "fast" air keeping the window from bumping against the bottom of the wing. Nothing but air between the lens and subject.


Jim
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weilke said:
What STCs are available for camera ports on the 1-series Cessnas ? Are there any or are the ports that you sometimes see all field approvals ?
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As Jim says, if you can shoot out the window, that's the way to do it.

Another method is to take off the right door.

More of an issue is camera mounting. A poor mount means nothing else you do will be worthwhile.

I worked at an FBO back in the early 1970s in SoCal. We had a 210 that National Geographic frequently hired, and we would take off the door and the right seat. We built them a mount from a seat frame that went right onto the rails, which raised the camera high enough that they could get a pretty good angle downward. The pilot flew with his seat way forward and the mount was at the back of the rails, so there was enough room (at least, they kept doing it, so it must have worked) We had vibration problems at first, then solved them by gluing a 99-cent inflatable pool float between two flat aluminum plates, one plate mounted to the base and the other to the camera adapter. When they would get to the shooting area, they simply undid the straps that held everything tight and went to work. Since the shooter was holding the camera to aim it, the plate support worked just fine. For a heavier camera, we glued an inner tube between the plates.
 
I am looking for a bottom fuselage port. I dont need a full 21in mapping or lidar port, I need about 4in diameter with enough room around to mount a 6x6 middle format camera with a digital back.
 
Call Jim Russell Russell Aerial Photography he has a port in his 182, 800 379 1991
 
What equipment/usage are you talking about? We talking survey/recon grade Zeiss gear or are we talking SLR type gear?
 
Henning said:
What equipment/usage are you talking about? We talking survey/recon grade Zeiss gear or are we talking SLR type gear?
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From what was written in this post I don't think he is looking at a hole for a large mapping camera, which is a good thing because it requires rerouting cables and is quite expensive.
weilke said:
I am looking for a bottom fuselage port. I dont need a full 21in mapping or lidar port, I need about 4in diameter with enough room around to mount a 6x6 middle format camera with a digital back.
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Everskyward said:
From what was written in this post I don't think he is looking at a hole for a large mapping camera, which is a good thing because it requires rerouting cables and is quite expensive.
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Ahh, I would build a replacement cargo door that blisters out to mount the camera on to shoot down, that way the lens shelf can be above and outside the exhaust and oil/belly scum streams.
 
weilke said:
I am looking for a bottom fuselage port. I dont need a full 21in mapping or lidar port, I need about 4in diameter with enough room around to mount a 6x6 middle format camera with a digital back.
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I have a buddy that has a 182 that he cut a hole in the aft section for a major camera. He does all kinds of contract photography including infrared, GIS mapping, and much more. Amazing technology, and a great pilot.

http://cornerstonemapping.com/
 
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Henning said:
What equipment/usage are you talking about? We talking survey/recon grade Zeiss gear or are we talking SLR type gear?
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Microsoft makes bitchin camera setups for airplanes. Starting at half mil. ;)
 
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Our V-77 came with camera mounts and all. :D
 
Totally depends on where you want the camera hole. We have one of those windows with a door in it. Another friend had a hole big enough to pass a small dog through in the bottom of his 206 for mapping work. What are you looking for.
 
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