When the separation distance is between 1 and 2 feet, a jumper can strike the aircraft with his head, upper torso or mid-section. Separation distances less than 1 foot indicate that a jumper is very likely to contact the aircraft in his mid-abdominal area. Whether or not actual contact is made depends on a jumper's orientation and height. Normally, a jumper's center of gravity clears the horizontal stabilizer by at least 5 feet. The no-cut curve shows that the minimum separation distance becomes smaller than the cut case, but only by about 6 inches.
All exits are safe as long as a jumper releases the aircraft.
It does not matter whether or not the aircraft has slowed or is still climbing. The most striking conclusion, from the results plotted in Figs 2 and 3, is that the separation distance is strongly dependent upon the relative vertical speeds between a jumper and the aircraft. This is illustrated by the two well-defined groupings of curves. These are the cases when a jumper releases the aircraft on exit. These are the cases when a jumper jumps up 1 foot on exit.