While there were obviously good reasons to do this sequence as green screen material, it definitely pays off when you know that in addition to the digital effects, a lot of this did take place in the air over the course of several days of shooting and dozens of jumps from an airplane for Iron Man 3. Marvel has released a new featurette clip for some of the behind the scenes sides of Iron Man 3 and is covering this aspect of it pretty nicely.
Plot concept: When Tony Stark/Iron Man finds his entire world reduced to rubble, he must use all his ingenuity to survive, destroy his enemy and somehow protect those he loves. But a soul-searching question haunts him: Does the man make the suit… or does the suit make the man? Featuring spectacular special effects, Marvel’s Iron Man 3 explodes with exclusive Blu-ray content.