Conclusion 2

In no-wind conditions, a “fast faller” will have a forward throw down the line of flight that is greater than that of a “slow faller” by a distance approximately equal to the distance covered by the jump plane in 4 seconds. For 70kts IAS this is around 500 feet.

Compare the fast and slow fallers for conditions of no-wind and no exit delay. The freeflying Spaceball has considerably more throw down the line of flight than the RW Spaceball. Try it for different jumpship airspeeds. In all cases, the freeflyer goes farther than the RW by a distance roughly equal to the distance covered by the jumpship in 3.6 seconds. Next try putting the freeflyer out first, with a 5 second delay. The paths of the two balls intersect. How much delay is needed to get an adequate horizontal separation? Finally, put the RW ball out first. This clearly leads to better horizontal separation.