Question: tail"rope" Boeing 737

[Skybird]

Boeing 737-800/900, PMDG.

Somehow and completely unaware I must have activated an option, most likely for an optional hardware kit, that puts some kind of a "rope", most likely an antenna, at the upper tip of the "fin" at the rear of the airframe. With the plane sitting still, it just hangs down, but when flying, the wire or what it is is dragged by the plane in the horizontal.

Does anyone know what that could be? I have no clue for what term or option I should look for, since I don'T have an idea what it is. Some kind of additional new "antenna" is just my assumption. Or a sensor that is dragged behind?

[Herr-Berbunch]

A quick Google shows it to be some test thing to reduce static in the aircraft. The test thing showed up quite a lot.

But teh interwebz could easily be lying to me.

[Skybird]

A test thing for antistatic. Now I need to check 11+9 CDU-pages of setups and options to see if something matches with that hint... If that not helps, there are 3500 pages of manual to search further. :timeout:

I found not even a picture, but I may have used bad search terms. Do you have a link to something where they mention some terms or abbreviations?

[Skybird]

Okay, I found it. The thing is simply called "flight test package". Don't know why it went active, since it is in the carrier options, and I haven't touched these since weeks and always fly with the same model, an 800 with winglets.

Ghost in the machine, I assume.

[Herr-Berbunch]

At least you're now less in the dark :sunny:

[Skybird]

You did not see my last night landing at LOWI, in foggy weather.:haha:

Doing a correct procedure by the charts from West to East to Rattenberg and then back to the final approach is a nightmare. That thing looks so peacefully and idyllic, but the approach really is hefty. Trying to land from West to East is even more nasty.

[Herr-Berbunch]

I only fly VFR, even in the most horrendous weather. Haven't been IMC since FS2002. :D

[Skybird]

Na, you must do it by the charts, trying to match the correct procedures! Dat's where da fun is and the nerves get stretched to their limits! Also program the occasional random system failure, when you think you can stand it! And try to do a correct fuel calculation and flight planning with an according software, too! :yeah:

I like it when I run out of fuel just half a mile before the runway and have to cheat by pumping some virtual fuel via options into my tanks. And all the flight I'm asking myself: "Will it be sufficient? Will it be sufficient?" :D