Apparatus for delivering torque struts to and removing torque struts from an aircraft landing gear

An apparatus having an X axis and a Y axis perpendicular thereto and being usable with an aircraft having a pair of inline tandem wheels with a closest wheel space of 10 cm to 20 cm, the apparatus comprising:

• a mobile platform defining an XY plane and a vertical Z direction perpendicular thereto, the platform having a generally isosceles triangular shape with two equal isosceles sides convergently defining a frustrum therebetween and an opposed notched side divergently connecting the two isosceles sides, the frustrum having an included angle ranging from 50 degrees to 60 degrees, the isosceles sides each having a respective segment parallel to the Y axis and intercepting the notched side of the platform and a respective tapered segment connected to the parallel segment at a vertex and extending therefrom to the frustrum, the notched side having a notch for accommodating an operator and having an aspect ratio defined by the length in the X direction to the depth in the Y direction of 1.5 to 2.7, the segments parallel to the Y axis having a first length in the Y direction and the tapered segments having a second length in the Y direction greater than the first length;
• a jack for vertically raising and lowering the torque strut proximate a main landing gear of a complementary aircraft and being disposed on the platform;
• and
• two spaced apart cradles disposed on the jack for removably receiving the torque strut therein.

An apparatus having an X axis defining an X direction and a Y axis perpendicular thereto defining a Y direction perpendicular thereto and usable with a C-130 aircraft having spaced apart inline aft tandem wheels, the apparatus comprising:

• a frustro-triangular mobile platform defining an XY plane and a vertical Z direction perpendicular thereto, the platform having a generally isosceles triangular shape for fitting between the spaced apart aft inline tandem wheels, with two equal isosceles sides and a a side having a notch which connects the two isosceles sides, the notch having an aspect ratio defined by the length in the X direction to the depth in the Y direction of 1.5 to 2.7, the two isosceles sides forming an included angle ranging from 40 degrees to 70 degrees, the notch having a length in the X direction of 32 cm to 45 cm and a length in the Y direction of 13 cm to 27 cm for accommodating an operator within an outline of a footprint of the platform, the segments parallel to the Y axis having a first length in the Y direction and the tapered segments having a second length in the Y direction greater than the first length;
• and
• two jacks spaced apart in the X direction, each jack having a cradle disposed on a top thereof and being configured for removably receiving the torque strut therein, the two jacks being adapted for independently vertically raising and lowering the torque strut proximate a main landing gear of a complementary aircraft and being disposed on the platform.