Curious about what the orange thing grinding on the deck was??
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I6SSE88fF0
Part of a test rig.
Also, note the use of ‘duct tape’ at the four-minute mark???
Must be the really good stuff!
Test equipment usually is painted orange. Ever seen F-15s and F-16s out of Edwards AFB (”ED” on the tail)? The orange panels and any orange control surfaces indicate special equipment installed for test. This looks like a test to me, they were probably testing how/where the tail would drag (with a tolerance added by the lip of the test rig) when developing charts and procedures for the flight manuals.