Speedbird 48:
Thanks for that; the loadmaster that day couldn't have been very bright. (Most of them were great guys). I'm sure the problem could have been easily sorted by putting some ballast in the front.
I can remember taking a large triangular jack to Nairobi for a Shackleton which had to have a wheel change. Those of you familiar with the Argosy will remember that we carried two ramps which were attached to the bottom clamshell door for loading and unloading.
The unloading of the jack seemed to be taking an age so I went back to look. To my horror, our man had one leg on each ramp and the third leg supported by a plank of wood hovering in space between the two ramps with each end of the plank on top of an inverted bit of roller-conveyor. The plank was bowing ominously and looked set to snap. The large jack falling between the two ramps would have caused unthinkable damage.
"Why are you doing it this way", said I. "It's the only way to do it" said he "the jack has three legs and we only have two ramps".
"So why don't you turn the jack round a bit and so that two legs can go down one ramp and the third leg goes down the other", said I.
The silence was deafening!