Gravity adds 9.8 m/s to the speed of a falling object every second.
An object dropped from 'rest' (v = 0) reaches the speed of 78.4 m/s after falling for (78.4 / 9.8) = 8.0 seconds .
Note:
In order to test this, you'd have to drop the object from a really high cell- tower, building, or helicopter. After falling for 8 seconds and reaching a speed of 78.4 m/s, it has fallen 313.6 meters (1,029 feet) straight down.
The flat roof of the Aon Center . . . the 3rd highest building in Chicago, where I used to work when it was the Amoco Corporation Building . . . is 1,076 feet above the street.
