Cradle assembly for supporting a door for uninstalling or installing to an aircraft, and arrangements and methods for the same

A cradle assembly and lift arrangement for supporting a door to a fuselage of an aircraft, the cradle assembly and lift arrangement comprising:

• a lift comprising a table and configured to vertically move the table;
• a base mounted on the table of the lift;
• a cradle assembly comprising:
• a first contoured board extending generally upward from the base and having a first contoured edge that is disposed distally from the base and that is configured to support a first outer section of the door;
• and
• a second contoured board spaced apart from the first contoured board and extending generally upward from the base, wherein the second contoured board has a second contoured edge that is disposed distally from the base and that is configured to support a second outer section of the door, and wherein the first and second contoured boards are contoured to substantially match the first and second outer sections, respectively, of the door, wherein the cradle assembly further comprises:
• at least one first arm disposed outboard of and coupled to the first contoured board and having a first inboard side;
• and
• at least one second arm disposed outboard of and coupled to the second contoured board and having a second inboard side, wherein the at least one first arm and the at least one second arm are spaced apart from each other a distance outboard of the first contoured board and the second contoured board, respectively, to allow the door to nest on the first and second contoured boards with edges of the door disposed inboard of the first and second inboard sides of the at least one first and second arms to limit lateral movement of the door.

A method for supporting a door to a fuselage of an aircraft, the method comprising the steps of:

• supporting a cradle assembly comprising a first contoured board and a second contoured board on a table of a lift;
• moving the table of the lift to advance the first and second contoured boards to a first position that is proximate to the fuselage;
• supporting a first outer section and a second outer section of the door with the first contoured board and the second contoured board, respectively, wherein the cradle assembly further comprises:
• at least one first arm disposed outboard of and coupled to the first contoured board and having a first inboard side;
• and
• at least one second arm disposed outboard of and coupled to the second contoured board and having a second inboard side, wherein the at least one first arm and the at least one second arm are spaced apart from each other a distance outboard of the first contoured board and the second contoured board, respectively, to allow the door to nest on the first and second contoured boards with edges of the door disposed inboard of the first and second inboard sides of the at least one first and second arms to limit lateral movement of the door;
• and wherein the method further comprises:
• one of uninstalling and installing the door to the fuselage while the first and second outer sections of door are supported by the first and second contoured boards in the first position.