Originally Posted by
Ixixly
Considering the inflight loads I'd much rather step on this and bend it than get it in the air and find out. Yes the loads on it aren't the same things but if you stepping on it bends it then you were already in trouble and either that aircraft needs to go or you need to hit the gym :P
Joking apart, aircraft are light because they only have strength in the areas actually required and in the direction of the forces. So a strut like this has to support a compression load of the wing and full fuel on the ground, and a tension load of half the airceaft total weight in the air, (increased by the angle of the strut).
There will not necessarily be much strength in a sideways direction, e.g. to support a person standing on it, unless it has been designed to do so.