In today's aircraft industry the main concern in ground support, without exception, is cost. Regardless of whether you are an equipment specialist in facilities, an equipment designer in engineering, or a manufacturer/vendor of the equipment, the primary concern is to “make it work longer, cheaper.”
The information presented here deals with an approach to the design of one of the most expensive items of ground support found on a flight line - the portable hydraulic test stand. In addition to cost reduction factors, other related elements will be discussed, such as fluid cleanliness, power requirements, instrumentation, and simplified operations, in an effort to provide the specialist, engineer, or vendor with a starting point.