0:00:23 > 0:00:27Come on! One! Two!
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Three! Four!
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Five! Six!
0:00:52 > 0:00:56After three testing months at Aldershot,
0:00:56 > 0:01:00480 Platoon were fit to drop, ready at last for parachute training.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Their reward - a few weeks in what the sergeant-major described
0:01:03 > 0:01:05as a holiday camp.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14In Britain, all parachute training is handled
0:01:14 > 0:01:17by specialist instructors at RAF Brize Norton.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Only the Air Force may decide when a soldier has earnt his wings.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27The sergeant major was right about one thing.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30RAF instructors do things differently.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Right turn!
0:01:36 > 0:01:40By the front, quick march, right wheel in single file.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Smocks and berets away, helmets off.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Go on, swing those arms, lovely boys!
0:01:45 > 0:01:49'Out of 41 originals, 17 lovely boys had reached the hangar
0:01:49 > 0:01:52'of Number 1 Parachute Training School to learn drills
0:01:52 > 0:01:53'of a different sort.'
0:01:53 > 0:01:56One, two, three, go, up, walk in!
0:01:58 > 0:02:01That's good. Now then, what's the difference in the shape?
0:02:01 > 0:02:04'On the course with them, SAS men, Marine Commandos
0:02:04 > 0:02:07'and four potential Parachute Regiment officers.'
0:02:07 > 0:02:11Right, this is the basic parachute harness, but it's been modified
0:02:11 > 0:02:14slightly so that it's more comfortable for you in the hangar.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16It's obvious where your arms go in the harness.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18It's like putting on a waistcoat.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21'From Sergeant Les Hammond, the parachutists' ABC
0:02:21 > 0:02:25'and the sacred litany which from now on must be repeated in practice,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28'on the ground, in the air and in between.'
0:02:28 > 0:02:30It's red on...
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Go, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, check.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Look up, have a good look at your canopy.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39You must have a good look at it. Go!
0:02:39 > 0:02:421,000, 2,000, 3,000, check canopy.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45All-round observation, off you go!
0:02:45 > 0:02:47'With men jumping into space, one every second,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50'observation is vital if close encounters are to be avoided.'
0:02:50 > 0:02:53And into the parachute position, everything tight,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56feet underneath you. Elbows in, chin on chest.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00'A correct parachute position will soften any impact, but speeds
0:03:00 > 0:03:02'and angles of descent vary,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05'and there is a ritual ballet for each one.'
0:03:05 > 0:03:07All together...
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Now concentrate! All together...
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Push.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Just watch this way, there...and then push.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24'Instructors like Gary Corkish employ any device as a learning aid.
0:03:24 > 0:03:25Back right...
0:03:25 > 0:03:28'The RAF don't invest their berets
0:03:28 > 0:03:31'with quite the same reverence as the Paras.'
0:03:32 > 0:03:36Don't be worried about Ward, sir. He's not the same rank as you.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Pass your beret to the lieutenant because his chin isn't on his chest.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Good. Last one, then. Fold it up, sir. Go!
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Right, back up again.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54Five pence if you get a good one. Side left, ready... Go! Push!
0:03:55 > 0:03:58You shouldn't have gone, should you? Get back up here.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Are you keen? Do you go everywhere with him, do you?
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Parachute position, come on.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08- Do you feel a prat? - Yeah.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10You should do. Ready, go!
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Action...stations!
0:04:15 > 0:04:19ALL: Rear-front, rear-front, rear-front, rear-front, rear-front...
0:04:19 > 0:04:20All right, stop there.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23Sir, you're looking a bit like a mouldy cripple there.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26I want your hips forward, OK?
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Action...stations!
0:04:28 > 0:04:31ALL: Rear-front, rear-front, rear-front, rear-front...
0:04:31 > 0:04:34'Compared with Aldershot, the method vastly different,
0:04:34 > 0:04:38'the objective the same - a production line of human automata.'
0:04:38 > 0:04:40That's better. Stop there, that's good.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44So everyone in, right down the bottom end.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47This time, I want this shuffle step, all moving together.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54That's diabolical. Go back again, that's rubbish.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58The rear foot moves first, then the front foot, all right?
0:04:58 > 0:05:01And you all move together as a group of men, right?
0:05:01 > 0:05:03At the moment, you're individuals.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07'Everything works automatically, including the parachute.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11'Paras don't pull ripcords, except on the emergency reserve chute
0:05:11 > 0:05:13'always strapped to their fronts.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16'As they move to the door, they let go the static line attached
0:05:16 > 0:05:20'to an overhead rail which yanks the chute open as they jump.'
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Three, four, five, six...
0:05:22 > 0:05:231,000, 2,000!
0:05:23 > 0:05:261,000, 2,000!
0:05:26 > 0:05:301,000, 2,000, 3,000, check canopy!
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Come here, quickly, in here.
0:05:37 > 0:05:38Magic. Well done.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41All together, go!
0:05:45 > 0:05:48On your back, reserve off.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50On your stomach!
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Pull hold of your rigging lines, pull in that canopy.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Pull it in!
0:05:57 > 0:05:59All the way in. Lie on top of it.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Roll over onto your back.
0:06:02 > 0:06:08And get yourself out of the harness, keep your back on the canopy.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11'HRD - harness, release and drag.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14'Fighting a stiff breeze in a welter of webbing and extra clothing,
0:06:15 > 0:06:16'there's a lot to remember.'
0:06:16 > 0:06:20Jump up, run to the apex! Quickly!
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Run the apex end to end.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25'And when it comes to the real thing,
0:06:25 > 0:06:29'they could be carrying an extra 120lb in weapons and equipment.'
0:06:29 > 0:06:30And wind it up.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Come on, get up!
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Get the harness off the canopy. You're going to drag it otherwise.
0:06:38 > 0:06:39That's it, underneath.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47'An RAF Victor, transporting fuel
0:06:47 > 0:06:51'to the South Atlantic, is a visible reminder of the need for attention.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54'The latest from Aldershot is that 480 Platoon must complete
0:06:54 > 0:06:59'their parachute training in three weeks, instead of the usual four.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02'Still unqualified, they're now on standby as first reinforcements
0:07:02 > 0:07:05'for the Falklands War. But are they ready?'
0:07:05 > 0:07:06Go!
0:07:08 > 0:07:09Feet back!
0:07:13 > 0:07:16'This contraption, controlled by an airbrake, was adapted
0:07:16 > 0:07:21'by the Air Force from a pre-war French fairground entertainment.'
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Right. Feet together.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36'Shaun Day, who at Aldershot had hesitated over the six-foot jump,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39'took this one in this stride.'
0:07:39 > 0:07:42I want you to be more positive. Much more positive.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46Legs together, all right? You've got to get the legs together.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49You've been stiff all week, stay stiff now.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52The instructors punish minor misdemeanors
0:07:52 > 0:07:54with impromptu activities not printed on the syllabus.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59They regard the punctuation of tedious repetition as essential.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04What is the difference, Gary, between your method and the Army's?
0:08:04 > 0:08:07A man in a relaxed state of mind
0:08:07 > 0:08:11will not worry about making mistakes, I find.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15If I give them a lot of formal training all the time,
0:08:15 > 0:08:17I find that in the hangar
0:08:17 > 0:08:22if I rip a bloke to bits for the next hour or so, he goes worse and worse.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26It spirals. He keeps on being more conscious of making mistakes.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29That's what we don't want. If he does that in the aircraft
0:08:29 > 0:08:32he'll make mistakes and he'll endanger other people's lives.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34So what we try and do, in a relaxed state of mind,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38so that he's relaxed so the thing sinks in.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42He's quite happy. But, not too much, we don't want to relax him too much.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44That would go too far.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47With Fleming we were doing the drills coming out of the harness
0:08:47 > 0:08:49for a water descent.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52They throw their arms up and out forwards but he threw his back
0:08:52 > 0:08:53and he got stuck in the harness.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56It's only a minor thing, in the broad aspect of things,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58but it's something he did wrong.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02It's quite comical having a bloke hanging in the hangar in the harness,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04just hanging there, bobbing up and down.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07In order for him to remember that, instead of ripping him to bits,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09because he's a fairly sensitive guy
0:09:09 > 0:09:12and would worry about being ripped to bits,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14we got him up on the bench and made him practise swimming
0:09:15 > 0:09:17because he would have gone under water, you know.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18MEN LAUGH
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Legs up a bit.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Now you can put down, "I am a diver."
0:09:22 > 0:09:23Say, "I am a diver."
0:09:23 > 0:09:26- I am a diver. - Right, back in line.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28He'll remember that now.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30He'll never forget it.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33'And there's another experience Fleming will never forget.'
0:09:33 > 0:09:34Go!
0:09:35 > 0:09:38LAUGHTER
0:09:38 > 0:09:42'The outdoor exit trainer which simulates the buffeting effects
0:09:42 > 0:09:44'of hitting an aircraft's slipstream,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47'when body and brain can become uncoordinated.'
0:09:47 > 0:09:511,000, 2,000, 3,000, check canopy.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55'The first arresting jolt is, in fact, far greater
0:09:55 > 0:09:56'than when a parachute opens.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00'It's a useful reminder to adjust your harness before leaving.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04'Not for nothing has this device been renamed the Knacker Cracker.'
0:10:04 > 0:10:05Go!
0:10:41 > 0:10:46Just remember, all of you, you're coming out of a Herc at 125 knots
0:10:46 > 0:10:49and if you ponce it up, you're in trouble.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54All right? Good, OK. Number two, feet. You heard of Wayne Sleep?
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Great little tap dancer. Like magic.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00But you're not Wayne Sleep, so keep your feet nice and tight together.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Number four, Fleming, wrong foot. All right?
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Correct foot in the lead, otherwise you find you get out the door
0:11:05 > 0:11:08and you'll be going arse over tit. All right?
0:11:08 > 0:11:11And counting all the rivets down the aircraft. OK?
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Keep those legs back...
0:11:14 > 0:11:18'Onward and increasingly upward, the tower is 80 feet high.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20'Speed of descent is controlled hydraulically
0:11:20 > 0:11:24'and can be varied according to wind conditions.'
0:11:26 > 0:11:31'It had been under repair for a year and 480 Platoon were guinea pigs.'
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Check your equipment.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- OK? - On number six.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52Fine. Goodbye. Good lad. Exit position!
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Red on! Go!
0:11:56 > 0:11:591,000, 2,000, 3,000, check canopy!
0:11:59 > 0:12:01Canopy's good, carry on.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Adopt a good parachute position. Yellow break off! Yellow break.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Elbows in, Ward! Pull 'em in.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16I was surprised how fast you come down. It looks fast from here
0:12:16 > 0:12:19but when you're coming down, it's not that fast.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23It is high, though. But you feel safe so you don't feel frightened at all.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26You've got plenty of time to think what you're doing.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28That's it, good.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36'On May 26th the balloon went up.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40'From RAF Hullavington and 800 feet, the recruits,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42'after ten days on the ground, trusted themselves
0:12:43 > 0:12:44'to the parachute itself.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48'The balloon jump is the first and the worst.'
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Have you got any worries?
0:12:50 > 0:12:52What about particularly?
0:12:52 > 0:12:55I dunno. Jumping out, I think.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Would it be a case of bottle?
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Once I'm out there, I suppose, I'll be all right.
0:13:01 > 0:13:06I couldn't just go up there and jump out casual. Psyche up and jump out.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Do you think that's necessary or is it better to relax?
0:13:09 > 0:13:12It is with me, yeah. What do you think I am, stupid?
0:13:12 > 0:13:15I wouldn't jump out of that thing normally. No way.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17How about you, Dean?
0:13:18 > 0:13:22I'm frightened, me. I'm absolutely crapping myself.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Taylor, in you come.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Turn around backwards. Duck.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35'What no-one admitted was after two months in a red beret
0:13:35 > 0:13:37'fear of refusing in front of mates
0:13:37 > 0:13:40'was probably greater than fear of jumping.'
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Just relax.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50'Final thoughts. It's only 800 feet.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55'With no slipstream you drop nearly 200 feet in the first three seconds.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57'If the main chute didn't open,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00'could you pull the red handle on the reserve in time?'
0:14:04 > 0:14:05'The steel Hauser is another hazard.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09'A failure of observation or steering could, warned one instructor,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12'bring it smashing between your eyes.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17'And when the wind blows, the cradle will rock.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20'So, you must be joking, it's compulsory.'
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Englishman, Irishman and a Scotsman,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26they want to get out of the Army and they try and get a medical discharge.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29- Is it a quick one? - No, sir.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30You better make it quick.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34The Scotsman goes in and thinks up a good excuse and he gets a discharge.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37The Englishman goes in and he thinks of a decent excuse.
0:14:37 > 0:14:42He gets a discharge. And the Scotsman goes, no the Irishman goes in.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44That's three Scotsmen you've had!
0:14:44 > 0:14:46And he comes back out...
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Your bottom lip's going, look. Carry on.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53And the Irishman comes back out, the Irishman comes back out
0:14:53 > 0:14:57and he says, "I didn't have to think of an excuse, I've got cancer."
0:14:57 > 0:15:02Oh! You did it wrong. That's terrible. Right, where's yours?
0:15:02 > 0:15:04I haven't got one.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08- You ain't got one? Is that it? - I was too nervous to think of one.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Do you see the church in the background.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14As we get a little higher, you'll see the graveyard in front.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17A bit irrelevant for what we're doing today but never mind.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Don't look down.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21When you go out, lots of aggression.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Get rid of all the nervousness by big shouting. All right?
0:15:32 > 0:15:37OK, young un, let's have a good one from you. All right. Good.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Put those arms across there. Just get yourself sorted out.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Hands across reserve.
0:15:49 > 0:15:50Go!
0:15:50 > 0:15:531,000, 2,000, 3,000...
0:15:55 > 0:15:58That's the fastest count I've ever heard!
0:15:59 > 0:16:03LOUD HAILER: And steer away, number one, steer away now.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06OK, stop steering now, number one, let up.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08OK, that's a good position now.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Elbows in, round the shoulders a little bit more.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Lift up with your right arm now. Elbow in.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25- All right. - How was it?
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Scared stiff till me chute opened. Then it's brilliant.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31What about standing on the edge of the...?
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Oh... I don't want to think of that ever again.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Still scared of heights?
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Yeah.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41You seemed to count, someone said on the ground,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45that's the fastest count of 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 they've ever heard.
0:16:45 > 0:16:46Did you feel that?
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Yeah, when I looked at me canopy it wasn't fully deployed.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53I looked up a bit early. So I must have counted too fast.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57Did you feel that at the time or did you feel something else?
0:16:57 > 0:17:02I don't know. Everything's... Training is bloody good.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Everything you do is just automatic after that.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08OK, Gary. Arms crossed.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Louder.
0:17:11 > 0:17:12Good lad. Go!
0:17:12 > 0:17:161,000, 2,000, 3,000...
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Accord your punishing position and she should lift.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Steer away. OK, young Ward.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33The worst part about it is when you're jumping out
0:17:33 > 0:17:36before your canopy's opened, you're just dropping.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41I'm going, "1,000, 2,000..." Mmm! God. It was wicked.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43I felt my guts going further up.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Did you look up and check canopy?
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Yeah, when I slowed down. I looked up and it were great.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Start whistling.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00Put one foot on here, Gary. Put it right here.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Arms across your reserve. Keep whistling.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10Go!
0:18:10 > 0:18:131,000, 2,000, 3,000...
0:18:16 > 0:18:18'Once the parachute had opened
0:18:18 > 0:18:20'what took most by surprise was ground rush.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24'The shocking speed with which the ground, after seeming a long way off,
0:18:24 > 0:18:28'suddenly zooms upwards in the final seconds.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30'Phil Tatum was no exception.'
0:18:30 > 0:18:33I was all right until I got ten feet from the ground,
0:18:33 > 0:18:37so I opened me legs and just sort of piled in.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44What was Tatum's roll like?
0:18:44 > 0:18:46What roll?
0:18:46 > 0:18:48- What happened to your teeth? - These teeth.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51You're bleeding in the mouth, what happened?
0:18:51 > 0:18:52I knocked myself on the reserve.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Right, just stand easy.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57For every jump, a debrief. How the instructor saw it.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59OK, exit.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03Your legs are apart. OK, you must get them tight together.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06When you go for a descent from the aircraft, your legs are apart,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08you'll end up spinning in the slipstream.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10So get your legs tight together.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Your steering was good. That was nice.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15You pulled down three or four times,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17that's some of the best steering we've seen today.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21What do you do as soon as you land? What position do you go into?
0:19:21 > 0:19:22Roll onto your back.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26Roll onto your back. Why were you on your knees taking your reserve off?
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Just because your canopy landed on top of you. Just get onto your back.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Remember, later on, you're gonna be in a situation,
0:19:32 > 0:19:37you're gonna be jumping with a container and simulate into action.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39If you're kneeling up or you're standing up, then,
0:19:39 > 0:19:43you could be a target. Away you go.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Brace yourself, Cunningham.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48'No-one was surprised that by the time Andy Cunningham came to jump,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52'Sod's Law decreed that the wind had got up considerably.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55'And his first exit was more horizontal than vertical.'
0:19:55 > 0:19:56Look up.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Both arms across your reserve.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Go!
0:20:06 > 0:20:10LOUD HAILER: OK, number one, elbows in, feet back underneath you.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13'But, as he had from so many previous setbacks during training,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15'he recovered in determined style.'
0:20:15 > 0:20:17OK, number two, let up now.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Let up and assess your drift, number two.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Good parachute position.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27Legs back underneath you, nice and tight.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Looking at the ground, elbows in. Hold that position.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34I wasn't scared, I was just a wee bit,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36you know, I was a bit apprehensive about it.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42Once that canopy opened... it was good fun.
0:20:42 > 0:20:43I enjoyed it.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54OK, clear away now then. Good, strong pull down.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57'For the rest of the platoon, too,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59'the first jump was comparatively plain sailing.'
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Hold it tight, number two. Elbows in.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09OK, now, I want you to steer away from that cable...
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Just closed my eyes, I think, and just prayed.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21And were you aware when you landed that you hadn't landed right?
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Yes, I struck my backside. It bloody hurt.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29Elbows in, that's nice, hold it in hold. Push the leg in.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36First thing, I wanted to shout out,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39"1,000, 2,000..." but I lost my voice.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43It come out as a sort of croak. I'm surprised they heard it.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Off the edge I went, I said, "Shit!" My stomach went to my mouth.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50I tell you... I didn't think I was going to be that scared.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53My stomach went, and I looked up, and there was the chute.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55I didn't count, didn't bother.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58It's such a shock when you jump out.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Then you start trying to react.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02By then, you haven't got enough time.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06He's telling you what to do on the bottom and you're thinking different.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08So it all mixes in. Oh, shit...
0:22:08 > 0:22:12Tomorrow, at least we won't have anybody telling us what to do.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14We'll jump out of the plane and that's it, you're on your own.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21The platoon had been given one ride in the Hercules Troop Carrier
0:22:21 > 0:22:23for air experience.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26For some, their first flight in any type of aircraft.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Several had been sick.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Some experienced Paras always are.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35Still, when the time came to jump, morale was high.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38But Private Stephen Thomas had missed the balloon jumps
0:22:38 > 0:22:41through a neck injury, so this was his first ever jump.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43And he was first out on the port side.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47It was all right while the starboard side was going out,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50but once it came to our side, everyone was a bit apprehensive.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Come on!
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Go!
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Two! Three!
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Look down and assess your drift.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Keep your elbows in, pull down!
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Come on now, lovely boys, collapse these canopies.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51Get your canopy in before you get out of your harness!
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Otherwise the thing will blow away. Pull it in.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00- How was it? - Fantastic.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02- Enjoy it? - Yes, I was terrified going out.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05But it was nothing really.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Because you didn't do the balloon jumps,
0:24:07 > 0:24:08- so this was your first ever. - Yep.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11- No problems? - No, fantastic.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14After two more successful aircraft jumps,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Stephen Thomas went back to do his balloon jump.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19On the cradle's edge, he refused.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23I just didn't have the same drive, not having the same team
0:24:23 > 0:24:27that I'd worked all the way through with and different instructors.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Just really didn't have the same drive.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35Were you...had anyone else jumped?
0:24:35 > 0:24:39Yes, three other boys left the cage. I was the last one left in.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42And that was quite an experience, watching those drop
0:24:42 > 0:24:45and the cage swinging about.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48And I...I don't know, I just...
0:24:48 > 0:24:50I didn't feel like going when it came to my turn.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53It seemed a lot higher up in the actual aircraft.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58And it was really eerie in that it was so quiet. And it's...
0:24:59 > 0:25:01..you know, I don't know.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07Was there any reason why you didn't mind giving up
0:25:07 > 0:25:09the Parachute Regiment?
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Were there any other reasons, other than the sheer inability to jump?
0:25:13 > 0:25:15No, no. I love the regiment.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22- And when you came down? - I felt pretty sick.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28What happened? What did they do?
0:25:28 > 0:25:30I was kept separate, away from the other lads
0:25:30 > 0:25:32because not all of them had done their jump.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Just thought I might put them off a bit, you know,
0:25:35 > 0:25:36seeing one refusal so I just kept away
0:25:36 > 0:25:38so as I didn't give any of my feelings away.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43Instantly rejected by the Paras,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47but not the Army, Stephen Thomas thought twice,
0:25:47 > 0:25:51then transferred successfully to the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56The rest of 480 Platoon continued jumping
0:25:56 > 0:26:01with increasing amounts of equipment and in ever larger groups.
0:26:04 > 0:26:05Conditions were perfect.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10The full tally was eight jumps, including one at night.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12The instructors were impressed.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16They progressed a lot faster than normal courses have come through.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19The information which has been going in the hangar has been sinking in.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21As you noticed,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23after three days, they looked like trained troops.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Very quick responses. Picked things up very quickly.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31So, in three quarters normal permitted time,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33480 Platoon won its wings,
0:26:33 > 0:26:37returning firmly to the regiment and to reality.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40From now on, refusal to jump would be a court martial offence.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45If you are not prepared to accept this obligation,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47then you should say so now.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Well done. Welcome to the Airborne Brotherhood and I salute all of you.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01Well done, congratulations to you. Relieved smile, I see.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Private Fleming. Well done, sir. Congratulations to you.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08Private Hooper. Well done, Hooper. Congratulations.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Well done, congratulations.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12No problems getting through the door?
0:27:12 > 0:27:13No, sir.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Well done, congratulations to you.
0:27:18 > 0:27:19'With wings came news.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23'In the Falklands, Goose Green had been won, but lives had been lost.
0:27:23 > 0:27:28'480 must now be ready, if required, to abandon training
0:27:28 > 0:27:30'and leave at only 24 hours notice.'
0:27:30 > 0:27:32You're going into an operational unit...
0:27:32 > 0:27:34We're going to the best operational unit.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36All right. I stand corrected. Sorry.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40When's your pass-out date now, then? July 16.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43You'll notice when we come back from the Falkland Islands.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45LAUGHTER
0:27:45 > 0:27:46Bring us a penguin back, will you?
0:27:46 > 0:27:47LAUGHTER
0:27:47 > 0:27:53And take your silver paper off first, right? Not for export.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56'While others preen, standing dejected on the sidelines,
0:27:56 > 0:27:59'having been prevented by an ear infection from completing
0:27:59 > 0:28:00'the required eight jumps,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04'was the man who from the start had been the most obviously
0:28:04 > 0:28:05'raring to go. Phil Tatum.'
0:28:05 > 0:28:07I've come all the way with this platoon.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09They're a good bunch of lads.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11And, you know, they're on 24-hour standby for the Falklands.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14If they go over there and I get left behind...
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Sod that for a game.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18You're still keen to go there,
0:28:18 > 0:28:21even as now the casualties begin to increase?
0:28:21 > 0:28:24Too right, yeah. That's what you're here for, isn't it?
0:28:24 > 0:28:25You're trained to accept that.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28We've been told that from the start that when we do fight,
0:28:28 > 0:28:29we'll be outnumbered,
0:28:29 > 0:28:32and you ain't got much chance of survival once you go in.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35Life expectancy is about six hours.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37But, you know, that's the price you've to pay
0:28:37 > 0:28:39for being in the best regiment.