When considering the free fall time for an average-sized skydiver, several factors come into play, including terminal velocity and the altitude from which the jump occurs. On average, a skydiver reaches terminal velocity after a short period of free fall, which is approximately 10 to 15 seconds depending on body position and weight.
Starting at an exit altitude of 5,000 feet and planning to deploy at 3,000 feet means that the jumper has a vertical distance of 2,000 feet to cover. The average time to fall this distance is around 15 seconds, based on the rate of descent and the time to reach terminal velocity.
In most skydiving scenarios, as one approaches terminal velocity (around 120 mph in a stable, belly-to-earth position), falling 2,000 feet would typically take about this amount of time due to the gravitational acceleration and increasing speed until that terminal velocity is reached. Thus, expecting a free fall duration of approximately 15 seconds is realistic for an average-sized jumper in this scenario.