Those sideways bounces needn't be dull at all though. You can really shoot off at high speed and go all pinball with the scenery, potentially ending up intact on the ground.

: With effort and a bit of checkpoint
: delay, you could probably get a checkpoint on the ledge, such that you can
: manage your positioning and timing over and over, getting a feel of where
: and when to drop.

Sure, that's the sort of thing to do. But it's not a case of probably being able to get a checkpoint where you want it. You can get it where you want, and also (within a few seconds) when you want - e.g. a couple of seconds before the dropship comes into view. I've been doing this in connection with turret detachment.