Could you accomplish the same thing in a ground based lab with a fan blowing air up at ~80 degrees? If airflow is used for orientation, then the test subject should orient to be parallel to the direction of airflow as it is falling.

All for Science, of course.

(The 80 degrees thing is there so they don’t hurt themselves when they reach the ground - hopefully being only 10 degrees off vertical will be recoverable).

Then, separately, experiment with LCD or projector screens simulating motion, and then the two in combination.

(Remembering to reset the cats to initial values of the feline parameters before each attempt, or else using freshly allocated cats.)

Don't forget to shave the cats before conducting the experiment.