0:00:02 > 0:00:08This programme contains strong language
0:00:30 > 0:00:34Somewhere, if we can find it, there should be this big rockface
0:00:34 > 0:00:37with a pool of water at the bottom,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40which played a considerable part in my dreams...
0:00:40 > 0:00:44in the months after my last visit to this part of Britain.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48What sort of dreams were they?
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Er, they were nightmares.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56It's impossible to know after 15 years,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59but I think this is absolutely it.
0:01:02 > 0:01:0615 years ago, Antony Woodward took part in the Round Britain Rally,
0:01:06 > 0:01:12a three-day air race across the UK for amateur microlight pilots.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16On the second day of the rally, he crashed.
0:01:17 > 0:01:23I was flying very slightly uphill, which is mistake number one.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26We'd just got into the air.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29The microlight wasn't climbing and it wasn't climbing
0:01:29 > 0:01:32and then, I saw a set of wires in front of us.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36So, I decided to try and go underneath.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40One of the wings clipped one of these wires here, I think.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42There was a massive blue flash.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46We went vertically upwards. We crashed down.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Just had petrol.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54A thin, cold trickle of petrol going down our necks.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06The nightmares came later.
0:02:11 > 0:02:12In this nightmare,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15I'm in a little plane flying round and round,
0:02:15 > 0:02:16unable to climb.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18I keep going up and up,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22but I never get quite high enough to get clear of this rocky face.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27What's going through your head?
0:02:29 > 0:02:32I don't know - microlighting's fucking dangerous!
0:02:32 > 0:02:35HE LAUGHS
0:02:36 > 0:02:42Flimsy, often homemade and powered by notoriously unreliable engines...
0:02:42 > 0:02:44You're putting your life in the hands
0:02:44 > 0:02:47of what is effectively a chainsaw attached to a deckchair.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51..microlights were born in the late 1970s as a way for anyone
0:02:51 > 0:02:56to experience flying at its most basic and its most exhilarating.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58What a place!
0:02:58 > 0:03:02The ultimate test for the microlighter is the Round Britain Rally...
0:03:04 > 0:03:05Oh, my God!
0:03:05 > 0:03:08..three days of non-stop, endurance flying...
0:03:08 > 0:03:10It feels like I've wrestled with a gorilla.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14..where the aim is to fly around as much of the country as possible.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16If we have to ditch in the sea,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19if anything was to happen to one of us, it better happen to me.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Oi, oi, oi, oi.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25I've never been so scared flying in my life.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30Once again, enthusiasts will compete in their magnificent flying machines
0:03:30 > 0:03:34in an attempt to recapture the true spirit of amateur aviation.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Yee-ha!
0:03:45 > 0:03:49That's me. God! Oh, my God. When was that?
0:03:49 > 0:03:52'80s, early '90s. I cannot believe I looked like that.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56That was a bad hair phase, I have to say. I think it's better now.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59Antony's a writer.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03The first book he wrote was about his crash.
0:04:05 > 0:04:0915 years on, he's decided to give the rally another go.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13I've been told by two instructors,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16with real confidence,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19I'm the worst pupil they've ever had.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23I have no instinctive feel for...
0:04:23 > 0:04:26how a plane flies,
0:04:26 > 0:04:29I have no spatial awareness
0:04:29 > 0:04:31for getting it down
0:04:31 > 0:04:33and I'm utterly un-technical.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37Most people who fly love tinkering with stuff,
0:04:37 > 0:04:42fiddling around with engines and that is all incomprehensible to me.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44I first wanted to fly...
0:04:46 > 0:04:50..to pull girls. There was nothing romantic about it.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- Were you successful?- Absolutely not.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Did he fly when you first met him?
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Yeah, he was writing his book Propellerhead,
0:04:59 > 0:05:03so I was basically reading about how hopeless he was at flying
0:05:03 > 0:05:05as I was getting to know him.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Was it attractive that he could fly?
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Erm, yeah.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12There's something glamorous about it. I really think so.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14I'm doing this for a different reason.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17I'm doing it cos I almost feel too grown-up and cosy.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19I'm now 48 with three children
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and it wouldn't really have occurred to me,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24but I suddenly thought, "Why not?"
0:05:24 > 0:05:30It's unfinished business and flying offers something very exciting
0:05:30 > 0:05:32and for me, very frightening and dangerous
0:05:32 > 0:05:35which also makes you feel tremendously alive.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42'Antony's on his way to visit his old flying instructor, Will,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45'who has agreed to be his team-mate for the rally.'
0:05:45 > 0:05:48How long is it since you've seen him?
0:05:48 > 0:05:50I was thinking about this last night.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52It's 20 years, I think.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57So, time enough for quite a lot to have happened to us both, I guess.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02I live here in my log cabin
0:06:02 > 0:06:05with my two sons, Peter and Edward,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08lots of male pigs, male dog.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10No ladies.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Can't get anyone to put up with the isolation of the place, you see.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Will had to give up being a flying instructor
0:06:16 > 0:06:20after a car crash in 2007 permanently damaged his back.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24You've been fighting, you have. You've got a bump on your neck.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27He now keeps pigs, but has jumped at this chance
0:06:27 > 0:06:30for one last flying adventure.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33For me, it'll be an end of an era, you know.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36It's the last time I shall ever do anything like this.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38I can't do what I used to do.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41So, I'm no longer going to be an instructor.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46So, it's a little bit like wrapping up 25 years of instructing in one hit.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50Will! How are you, mate? Good to see you!
0:06:50 > 0:06:56- Excellent!- I've got less hair than you as well. That's really good.
0:06:58 > 0:06:59Do you find your head gets cold?
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Well, yeah, I do. I'm now used to it...
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Antony's insisted they compete
0:07:04 > 0:07:07in the same type of plane he crashed in - a 1980s Thruster,
0:07:07 > 0:07:11which Will has spent the past few days putting back together.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15- This is my toy shed.- There it is! Oh, beautiful. Good colours, too.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19Look at that. Christ, it's in beautiful order. Look at that.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- Is it as you remember it? - Oh, gorgeous Thruster. I mean, look at it.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26- Supermarket trolley back wheel. They are fantastic.- That's it! You know...
0:07:26 > 0:07:31Plastic stacking seats like I sat on all through my school days,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34- just bolted to the bottom. - That's it.- It is great.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36The bathroom light switch.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39Yeah, that's it. That's it. Yeah, pull the chain.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Look at that. Look at that.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46ANTONY LAUGHS
0:07:46 > 0:07:50You get yourself strapped in and I will figure out how...
0:07:50 > 0:07:54This is the first time Antony has flown a microlight
0:07:54 > 0:07:56in almost a decade.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Here we go!
0:07:59 > 0:08:02'With safety comes blandness'
0:08:02 > 0:08:05and the magic of these machines, to me,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07is it gets you right up close
0:08:07 > 0:08:10to that sort of scary edge of the envelope,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14of what you're doing in this sort of deckchair in the sky.
0:08:14 > 0:08:15Clear prop!
0:09:08 > 0:09:12'You take off in a little aeroplane and a lot of fresh air comes in
0:09:12 > 0:09:14'and the view's fantastic.'
0:09:14 > 0:09:17It's just like... You're just taking a step to heaven.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40The most difficult and dangerous part of any flying is the landing.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Setting off again, Antony's worst fears are realised.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22The engine suddenly falters.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Luckily, while they're still on the ground.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Fuck, fuck, fuck!
0:10:34 > 0:10:37What happened?
0:10:37 > 0:10:41Well, the engine, at a crucial moment,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45stopped giving quite as much power as it was and the wonderful thing is,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48it did it while we were still on the ground,
0:10:48 > 0:10:53rather than three minutes later, when we would have been over trees.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58At the weekend, there,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01I got my new Ray-Ban Aviator glasses.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Tom Cruise, eat your heart out! Top Gun-style.
0:11:07 > 0:11:1216-year-old Mikey McMahon is competing in the rally with his dad, Paul,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14who separated from Mikey's mother six years ago.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18It's my first time to do something like this
0:11:18 > 0:11:22and I'd say it would bring me closer to my dad as well.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25It's going to be talking about flying the whole time.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29It's drink, eat, breathe flying, basically.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Mikey's dad Paul runs his own driving school,
0:11:33 > 0:11:37but takes every chance he can to get up in the air.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41People say, "You're in the same place every weekend." I say, "I'm never in the same place."
0:11:41 > 0:11:46The clouds change, the winds change, the seasons change
0:11:46 > 0:11:49and once you leave that ground, the sky is a different place.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53You can fly to the same destination every single day of your life
0:11:53 > 0:11:55and be somewhere different every day.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58So, have you always been into flying?
0:11:58 > 0:11:59Yeah, I was brought up on it.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02There was a stage where I went off it
0:12:02 > 0:12:06and I felt a bit scared of flying and then, I gave...
0:12:06 > 0:12:08- Scared? - Mmm, I was afraid of turbulence.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11I didn't like going up in passenger jets,
0:12:11 > 0:12:16I didn't like going up in any plane. I made any excuse not to go up.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20What do you think made you scared about it at that point?
0:12:20 > 0:12:22What made me scared, I think, was my dad's crash.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24He went up, took off,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28the telephone wire went across the bar in front of the plane
0:12:28 > 0:12:30and it snapped and turned him round 180 degrees
0:12:30 > 0:12:33and straight into the ground at 60 miles an hour.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35He said he's lucky to be alive on it
0:12:35 > 0:12:37and, er, that sort of put me off.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43Paul is collecting his son to fly in his microlight to England,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46where the rally begins in two days' time.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49- Right, let's go, son.- Bye!
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Miss you already!
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Oh, my God.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Oh, I've got big butterflies. Well, not butterflies.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Pterodactyls floating round in my stomach now for him now.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08It's awful, isn't it? I feel sick.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12In order to take part in the rally,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Paul and Mikey first have to fly their microlight
0:13:14 > 0:13:17over 72 miles of Irish Sea.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20If their engine fails, it could be fatal,
0:13:20 > 0:13:24as they'd be forced to ditch in the icy waters below.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27The better option would be not to go across the sea at all,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30but then, we live on an island. We have to do it.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Are you getting nervous?
0:13:38 > 0:13:42This is an exciting trip, it's an adventure and that's what it's supposed to be.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45If we need to come back at any time because you're not happy
0:13:45 > 0:13:48or uncomfortable or you panic or anything like that,
0:13:48 > 0:13:49we'll have a little chat
0:13:49 > 0:13:52and I will turn that aircraft round and come back, OK?
0:13:52 > 0:13:54This is breaking new ground for me.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57This is actually like cutting an umbilical cord for me
0:13:57 > 0:14:01because I have purposefully not taken Michael on trips,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03purely because of the sea crossing.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12On my own, I'm responsible for me.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15But if anything was to happen to him, I don't think I'd ever...
0:14:15 > 0:14:18I don't think I'd ever live with myself.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24Now, I know you're scared. Don't want you feeling under pressure.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30OK? But I need to know by four o'clock.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32If you turn around to me in half an hour...
0:14:32 > 0:14:35If you turn around to me at four o'clock and say,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38"No, Dad, I can't do it", we'll wheel it in here
0:14:38 > 0:14:40and we'll head off home.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44- Where are you right now in your head?- Don't know.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52'Paul's decided their best window to do the 40-minute sea crossing,
0:14:52 > 0:14:53'is right now.'
0:14:53 > 0:14:55How you feeling, Paul?
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Not great.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02I want to go, but I want to go for me and him.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06I don't want to go if he's not going to be happy with it.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11He's a sensitive young kid and I'm very, very concerned about him.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16I might have to pull the plug meself, now. It's just, ah!
0:15:16 > 0:15:18But what can you do?
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Hello.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22You all right?
0:15:22 > 0:15:25What's wrong?
0:15:25 > 0:15:27I'm scared.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30I just looked in his eyes, I could see, there was...
0:15:30 > 0:15:34There wasn't even the worry, there was a terror in his eyes.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38His bottom lip was trembling, his whole face turned pale.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40That's thinking about getting into it.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44I just don't want to do him any damage.
0:15:54 > 0:16:00In Wales, Antony's having his own second thoughts about the rally.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02I'm feeling a lot more scared about it than...
0:16:02 > 0:16:06I think I admitted to myself.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Will is a gung-ho bush pilot
0:16:10 > 0:16:12who wants to win.
0:16:12 > 0:16:17But it matters to me to survive.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20That has made me think about doing the rally more,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23because I'm in a different position now to when I did it before,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27I had nothing to lose, I was single. Now I've got three little children.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32'I don't trust that engine an inch.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37'Everything can go wrong.'
0:16:43 > 0:16:47Back in Ireland, Paul is waiting for Mikey's decision.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54- How's it going?- Feeling good, still scared and nervous,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57but you're not going to do a trip without being scared and nervous.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Two and a half hours now, we're in a different country, we're on holidays!
0:17:01 > 0:17:04So just over the sea, I'm just going to see tonight,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08keep myself calm and talk to Dad the whole time. Deep breaths.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12You're going to do it?
0:17:12 > 0:17:16I'm going to do it. It's something I'd kick myself over afterwards
0:17:16 > 0:17:17if I don't do it, but...
0:17:17 > 0:17:20I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna go and do it now.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30See ya, Jill. Thanks for coming out.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Mikey, load her up.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- Bye.- Bye, baby.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36See you, Michael. Well done.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Clear prop!
0:17:40 > 0:17:45Hey, Da, is it natural to still be scared and nervous?
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Too fucking right - I am!
0:17:47 > 0:17:52- That is a nasty crosswind, son. So be ready for it.- Yep!
0:17:52 > 0:17:54- Are you ready?- Yeah.- Let's go.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28- Round Britain, son, here we come. - Woo-hoo!
0:18:28 > 0:18:32- Ah, man, we are marching along now. - Are we?
0:18:32 > 0:18:35- 89 mile an hour, look.- Wow.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39Well, there she is, son, there's the seaside.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43- Hey, Da?- Yeah?
0:18:43 > 0:18:47- Is it all right if I say a little prayer?- Course it is.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51Here we go, son. Closer now.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54'I sat there and the tension was building.'
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Dad, I'm scared.
0:18:56 > 0:18:57It's all right.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01As we coasted out, I felt a streak of panic in me
0:19:01 > 0:19:04and I was about to say, "No, no, I want to go back,"
0:19:04 > 0:19:06but then I don't know what happened, I just went for it.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10I tell you, fair play to you, son, you're brave enough.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Do you know what?
0:19:13 > 0:19:15- What?- I'm proud of you, son.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25There she is, son. There's Wales!
0:19:26 > 0:19:31We'll be crossing the coast in about two minutes.
0:19:31 > 0:19:32I'm going, "Shh, Da, don't jinx it,"
0:19:32 > 0:19:35and then as we come over, I remember looking down like that
0:19:35 > 0:19:38and watching the liquid turn back to solid ground.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Hey-hey, son, there she is!
0:19:42 > 0:19:46- That's the longest flight we've ever done together.- Yeah!
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Oh, the boys are back in town!
0:19:59 > 0:20:01The Eagle has landed.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04I went out and did it and I'm really, really happy now.
0:20:07 > 0:20:12As competitors from all over Britain gather in an airfield
0:20:12 > 0:20:16in the Midlands, there's one man that everyone's waiting for.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20Richard Meredith Hardy is probably the leading adventurer,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23I would say, in microlighting.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26He'll be trying hard, he's done the Round Britain many times.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29He's kind of done everything, really, I think.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33The pinnacle of Richard's career was when he flew to Australia,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37any pilot that can do that is just at the peak of the sport.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40You'll have a hard job keeping up with him.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Any chance you might beat him?
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Absolutely not, no!
0:20:51 > 0:20:57Richard Meredith Hardy is the President of the International Microlight Commission,
0:20:57 > 0:21:01and one of the favourites to win the rally.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04I've got various machines in here,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08variously in states of disrepair.
0:21:08 > 0:21:15This old thing took me to Cape Town in 1985, '86.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22And this one, I won the World Championships in.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25I was the first person to successfully fly over Everest.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28A bunch of people were standing on the summit
0:21:28 > 0:21:30and we waved at each other,
0:21:30 > 0:21:34and in fact, my photographs are the first ever photos of,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36aerial photos of people on Everest.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Extraordinary, really.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41'I've lived here all my life.'
0:21:41 > 0:21:43My parents' house is up here as well.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46How would you describe your upbringing?
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Well, I suppose slightly eccentric,
0:21:49 > 0:21:53but then, we're English, you know.
0:21:54 > 0:21:55Come on.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59There he is.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02What was Richard like at that age in that picture?
0:22:02 > 0:22:04He was ten then.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Different, I think, is the answer!
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Hmm, well...
0:22:15 > 0:22:17THEY LAUGH
0:22:20 > 0:22:23The aim of the rally is to fly around as much of Britain
0:22:23 > 0:22:26as possible, in any direction.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Teams score points every time they fly over one of 66 designated
0:22:29 > 0:22:33turn points, scattered up and down the country.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37OK, so this is all of the turn points.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42We're starting at Preston Capes in Northamptonshire, which is there.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45It tends to be that the further away ones
0:22:45 > 0:22:49are worth more than the nearer ones.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Somewhere like Cape Wrath is worth 200 points,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55the ones down south are all worth 50 points.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59So whatever happens, the most important strategy is
0:22:59 > 0:23:03that for every minute that you're on the ground, you've lost a mile.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06So you've gotta be flying, flying, flying.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09If you stop for fuel, you stop for fuel, put in fuel and go,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12no frigging around, drinking cups of tea and stuff.
0:23:12 > 0:23:13There they are, there they are.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Teams can only fly during daylight,
0:23:16 > 0:23:21and one of the toughest challenges of the rally is navigation.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26We're working off the seat of our pants a bit because we've got no navigational systems or anything,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30- so we have to do it all by... - Map and compass! - That's it, the old-fashioned way.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32And hope my back holds out.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Otherwise you might be going halfway around solo!
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Actually, to do the whole rally
0:23:38 > 0:23:41would be a wonderful, wonderful achievement,
0:23:41 > 0:23:45and to win is the icing on the cake,
0:23:45 > 0:23:47and I mean, I like the idea of winning.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49I like that idea of winning, too.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52I mean, I don't want to just take part, I want to win.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56The night before the rally,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00the competitors have gathered for a detailed briefing.
0:24:00 > 0:24:0323 teams are competing,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05in microlights of all shapes and sizes.
0:24:07 > 0:24:08Curry's all right?
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Each team will have a logging device that records which turn points
0:24:12 > 0:24:15they fly over, to calculate their score.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Ladies, gentlemen, good evening.
0:24:18 > 0:24:19At the end of three days,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23the team with the most points will be the winner.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27Tomorrow morning, the first plane out is at 0900.
0:24:27 > 0:24:33The aircraft are leaving in two-minute intervals.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36So these are the only loggers which will give you
0:24:36 > 0:24:38a score for the weekend. So you must have one of these.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Let's have a good one. Cheers, folks.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45APPLAUSE
0:24:53 > 0:24:550900, standby.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57It's the first day of the rally.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Getting the start right is vital.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05Each team has a window of just two minutes in which to take off.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08If they miss their slot, they go to the back of the queue.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10One minute.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Four, three, two, one, go!
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Off like a stabbed rat.
0:25:26 > 0:25:27The boy is keen.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Woodward, are you ready?
0:25:31 > 0:25:35- Are you ready? - All done, mate, all done!
0:25:35 > 0:25:37You're ready? Helmet and harness secure?
0:25:37 > 0:25:40Helmet and harness secure.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42- Round Britain Rally, son. - Let's do it, Da!
0:25:53 > 0:25:55One minute.
0:26:01 > 0:26:07Four, three, two, one, go!
0:26:20 > 0:26:23Oh, God, I've poured water all over this!
0:26:26 > 0:26:31I think it's fair to say we are the least organised team here.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34Bye.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47- So you've missed your slot? - We've missed our slot, all Antony's fault of course.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51Er, Woodward can't get himself organised.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56But it's all good, because now if we lose, I can blame Antony.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Bloody hell!
0:27:02 > 0:27:06'His faffing is really very frightening to watch and be around.'
0:27:06 > 0:27:11You know the chap that had to crash land in the Hudson River?
0:27:11 > 0:27:15He was cool and calm and measured.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17And that would not be him.
0:27:17 > 0:27:18Flip up.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24- Is this how Daddy normally leaves? - Yes.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26- Late?- Yes.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29- Faffing?- Yes.- Yeah?
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Fuck me, come on, we've got to go!
0:27:35 > 0:27:38They should have got ready before we got here.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Yeah. Do you think you'd have done it better?
0:27:41 > 0:27:44- Yeah, I think I'd have already left. - Yeah.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47- Right?- Aye, all right.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52One hour after their allocated slot,
0:27:52 > 0:27:56Antony and Will finally make it into the air.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Their plan is to fly first to Daventry Beacon,
0:28:01 > 0:28:05worth 50 points, just five minutes away.
0:28:06 > 0:28:12But after 15 minutes in the air, Daventry is nowhere to be found.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21'I'm looking at the map and I said to Antony,'
0:28:21 > 0:28:24"That's the turn point there," I'm holding the map up to it,
0:28:24 > 0:28:28"There's a turn point there." "Yes," he says, "I can see that,
0:28:28 > 0:28:30"and here's where we took off from, this marker.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34"Ah, oh, er, that might not be the airfield, actually,"
0:28:34 > 0:28:37"I just made a black mark around about where I thought it was."
0:28:46 > 0:28:50"So this black dot which says airfield might not be airfield,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53"this might be just a black dot that could be anywhere?"
0:28:53 > 0:28:54"Yes."
0:29:03 > 0:29:05We were about six miles to the wrong place
0:29:05 > 0:29:09and so there's that feeling of embarrassment, oh, God, the first take-off,
0:29:09 > 0:29:12we got lost within five minutes and came back to base.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15I mean, that's just unheard of, you know, you just don't do that,
0:29:15 > 0:29:17you just don't do that.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37What a piss-off. Absolute fucking piss...
0:29:37 > 0:29:39- Sorry about that.- Shit!
0:29:41 > 0:29:43I was really hacked off.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52Will was very competitive to start with,
0:29:52 > 0:29:56I think he wanted to win, er, and a couple things thwarted this,
0:29:56 > 0:29:59this dream for him, one was probably his co-pilot.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02Antony, I can't fucking believe you done that to me!
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Well, I just thought, this guy, I can't...
0:30:05 > 0:30:08If he's going to put a dot in the map in the middle of nowhere,
0:30:08 > 0:30:10I just can't trust him to do anything.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13We're going to get so lost, I'm going to do everything.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Never let Antony mark the airfield - he puts it in the wrong place.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20Richard has picked up a strong tailwind,
0:30:20 > 0:30:23and is already half way up the west coast.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27His plan is to reach the top of Scotland by the end of day one,
0:30:27 > 0:30:30but having already flown 200 miles,
0:30:30 > 0:30:33his microlight is running low on fuel.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37Well, we do need to do something about fuel.
0:30:37 > 0:30:43I have my cunning scheme. This is my mid-air refuelling device.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48So, what we do is we've got that bit.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52We open the fuel - let's turn that round
0:30:52 > 0:30:54so we've got a bit of a better view.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57We open the fuel cap,
0:30:57 > 0:31:01we shove that in the tank, like that.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05Then we get the other bit, just here.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Shove that in the jerry can.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11Rather than wasting time landing,
0:31:11 > 0:31:14Richard's brought along two jerry cans of fuel,
0:31:14 > 0:31:16in the place of a co-pilot.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21Just take off my seatbelt for a minute. There we are.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27'I won't say I don't get scared sometimes,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30'because you can scare yourself quite easily.'
0:31:30 > 0:31:32Oh, dear! Why does it have to be so bumpy?
0:31:34 > 0:31:38But flying a microlight is no more dangerous than driving your car down the road.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Then the final part of the trick,
0:31:41 > 0:31:47let's do my seat belt up again actually, might fall out...
0:31:53 > 0:31:57..bloody coat's blowing up like a Michelin man as well, er...
0:32:04 > 0:32:06Oh.
0:32:11 > 0:32:16Right, now we have fuel whizzing down our pipe
0:32:16 > 0:32:17into the tank.
0:32:18 > 0:32:19Very good.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25He does what appear to be crazy things,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28and the worst thing was when he did Everest.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32That was the one thing I didn't want him to do, I really did think,
0:32:32 > 0:32:36I really thought they would die when they went off to do that,
0:32:36 > 0:32:37er, in fact, I...
0:32:37 > 0:32:41- Didn't you stop him? - I tried. I did try. I was so angry.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44I tried very hard to stop him from doing it -
0:32:44 > 0:32:47he was determined, so I was absolutely furious,
0:32:47 > 0:32:50and of course when he came back I was incredibly proud.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56# Do your balls hang low? Can you swing them to and fro?
0:32:56 > 0:32:59# Can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them... #
0:32:59 > 0:33:02Paul and Mikey are making good progress,
0:33:02 > 0:33:04heading towards Salisbury in Wiltshire.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08# Can you throw them over your shoulder like a continental soldier?
0:33:08 > 0:33:11# Do your balls hang low? #
0:33:11 > 0:33:12He's like a big child!
0:33:14 > 0:33:18- Well, do you like all this flying here?- Yeah, it's cool.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20The turbulence doesn't bother you any more, does it?
0:33:20 > 0:33:22No, it's still a little bit scary.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25'You're always going to love what your da's doing.'
0:33:25 > 0:33:29If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be into all this flying.
0:33:29 > 0:33:30'This obsession...
0:33:30 > 0:33:33'You wake up on a Monday morning wishing it was Friday.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35'You start to wish your life away.'
0:33:35 > 0:33:36Hey-hey!
0:33:39 > 0:33:42'You just can't wait until you're going again.'
0:33:42 > 0:33:45It becomes all-consuming. It does take over your life.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48So if you fancy having a relationship with anyone -
0:33:48 > 0:33:51and that includes your kids, your friends, your wife,
0:33:51 > 0:33:54it doesn't matter - if you want a relationship with anybody,
0:33:54 > 0:33:58once you start doing this, get somebody who likes this, too.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00Because it just ain't going away.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05After their disastrous start,
0:34:05 > 0:34:08Antony and Will head towards Devon.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11Will is still reluctant to let Antony fly the plane,
0:34:11 > 0:34:15but a couple of hours in the cramped cockpit of the thruster
0:34:15 > 0:34:17is taking its toll on his bad back.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32The problem is, is that if it goes completely bad, my left leg
0:34:32 > 0:34:36goes completely numb so I can't even feel the rudder pedal, you know.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58With Will in serious pain,
0:34:58 > 0:35:02Antony has to take the controls for the first time in the rally,
0:35:02 > 0:35:06and divert to the nearest airfield, Enstone, near Oxford.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10He also has to land the plane.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13Landings are impossible, I mean, landings...
0:35:13 > 0:35:17There's an old flying adage, you know, "What is a good landing?
0:35:17 > 0:35:18"A good landing is a landing
0:35:18 > 0:35:21"from which the pilot can walk away unaided."
0:35:26 > 0:35:29As you get nearer the ground, you are more, with every moment,
0:35:29 > 0:35:33more aware of what's going to happen when you screw this up.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44The landings were bloody hopeless.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50I thought, "Yeah, we could have a bit of work cut out here,
0:35:50 > 0:35:55"Antony cannot land a plane, he's definitely forgotten that bit."
0:35:59 > 0:36:01Fucking hell.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07- Oh, my God.- Well done, William.
0:36:10 > 0:36:11This is bad.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17After leaving Salisbury, Paul and Mikey are on their way to Somerset,
0:36:17 > 0:36:20when they suddenly run into bad weather.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22You all right?
0:36:22 > 0:36:24I just don't like that in front of us.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26It's fine, I can see right through it,
0:36:26 > 0:36:28I can see the horizon beyond it.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Now we're going to get a kicking off of these hills.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Being in the microlight in bad turbulence
0:36:34 > 0:36:36is like being in a washing machine with it turned on.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Oy-yoy-yoy!
0:36:39 > 0:36:41It's like, "Oooooh!"
0:36:41 > 0:36:45Oh, you bastards. That was a big one.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48And with the turbulence we had on the rally in the rain,
0:36:48 > 0:36:50it was actually like we WERE in a washing machine!
0:36:50 > 0:36:53- Do you want your daddy to sing to you, son?- No.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55Go on, do you want your daddy to sing you a little song,
0:36:55 > 0:36:58- would that make you feel better?- No.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00I've got a really itchy head, I'm cold.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03Michael, this cold thing, we've got to sort this out. I'm not.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06- My jacket keeps unzipping! - Well, zip it back up.- I do!
0:37:06 > 0:37:10- Well, then, it should keep you warm! - It doesn't!
0:37:10 > 0:37:13I remember going to Da, "Come on, come on, come on, come on,
0:37:13 > 0:37:18"are we there yet?" He goes, "No, no, we're only two hours away," I was like, "Only two hours away?!
0:37:18 > 0:37:22"This is shocking!" I say, "Can we not be only ten minutes away?"
0:37:22 > 0:37:25- All right, we're going to be on the ground shortly, OK?- OK.
0:37:25 > 0:37:30I want to know what you think, not just "OK".
0:37:30 > 0:37:33"OK, I don't care, just get me back on the ground!"
0:37:33 > 0:37:37And it was at that point I realised that I can't push Michael too far,
0:37:37 > 0:37:40I don't want to put him off something that he already loves.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44It's a bit like if you like Mars bars, cos one day you'll eat a whole box of them
0:37:44 > 0:37:47and there's just one Mars bar that'll put you off Mars bars for life,
0:37:47 > 0:37:49and I didn't want to get into that scenario.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53Beaten by the low weather front, and his son's even lower mood,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56Paul gives up on his ambitions for the day.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58How was that?
0:37:58 > 0:38:00I feel slightly sicky.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04I can still feel... HE LAUGHS
0:38:11 > 0:38:13Enjoying this?
0:38:13 > 0:38:15Not at the moment, no!
0:38:18 > 0:38:22Richard ends day one as the only competitor to reach
0:38:22 > 0:38:26the highest-scoring location of the rally, Cape Wrath.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31Golf sierra echo echo echo. Scottish information.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36'Golf echo echo, come in.'
0:38:36 > 0:38:40Golf echo echo, I'm just now at Cape Wrath
0:38:40 > 0:38:42at 5,500 feet.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50So here we are at the top of Scotland.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55'My primary ambition is to fly over all seven summits,
0:38:55 > 0:38:59'which are the highest mountains on every continent.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03'My friend Angelo was very good at raising the money for these things,
0:39:03 > 0:39:09'he was killed in a stupid accident, riding as a passenger
0:39:09 > 0:39:13'in a light aircraft, and the pilot killed them both.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17'It was a great tragedy, really,
0:39:17 > 0:39:22'because we were building up to going to Antarctica.'
0:39:29 > 0:39:31Oh, you bastard, come on!
0:39:34 > 0:39:38After leaving Enstone, Will and Antony fly on to Devon,
0:39:38 > 0:39:42hoping to pick up a few last points before sunset.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48But with Will still in constant pain, they decide to call it a day
0:39:48 > 0:39:50and return to his house,
0:39:50 > 0:39:52worth no points...
0:39:53 > 0:39:56..and with Will doing the landing.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15Well done.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27Oh, thank fuck for that.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32OK, that's it, that's what we want for the morning.
0:40:32 > 0:40:37'I think it was a sort of, you know, series of cock-ups, in many ways.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40'The complexities today were my relationship with Will.'
0:40:40 > 0:40:44I think we both have this great liking for each other,
0:40:44 > 0:40:46but we don't actually know each other well
0:40:46 > 0:40:49and we come from probably quite different worlds.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52There is inevitably a teacher and pupil relationship, where
0:40:52 > 0:40:56it's hard to question his decisions, so that's where the tension lies.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00I suspect if he was feeling honest, he might not,
0:41:00 > 0:41:05he might not choose me as his flying companion, but...
0:41:05 > 0:41:11but he's got me, so that's sort of, that's sort of it!
0:41:13 > 0:41:16After flying almost 700 miles in one day,
0:41:16 > 0:41:21Richard is bedding down for the night at Dornoch,
0:41:21 > 0:41:22north of Inverness.
0:41:22 > 0:41:27Unlike Will and Antony, he won't be benefiting from home comforts.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31So where do you sleep tonight?
0:41:31 > 0:41:33My tent is just there.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35It's a very low tent.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38It's the wing.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41So you sleep under the wing?
0:41:41 > 0:41:43Yeah, perfectly nice, walls and roof.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45It's the way you like it, isn't it, like that?
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Well, I mean, the answer is, is that if I lost a bit of this,
0:41:48 > 0:41:50then I might be able to carry a tent!
0:42:22 > 0:42:24It's the second day of the rally,
0:42:24 > 0:42:28the same day that Antony had his crash 15 years ago.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31With Will still suffering,
0:42:31 > 0:42:34it's up to Antony to do all of the flying today.
0:42:34 > 0:42:39We need to get going, we really do need to get going, we're late again.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45Will you start her?
0:42:45 > 0:42:49Certainly. You climb in and climb aboard, captain. Captain Woodward.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56I think he was a little bit wary before we went up, you know,
0:42:56 > 0:42:59he looked a little bit sort of white and, er, "Oh, God, this is it."
0:43:03 > 0:43:07I thought about crashing every second of the rally.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12- OK?- Yeah, all go.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20When Will and I were taking off with all our kit and stuff
0:43:20 > 0:43:23and everything, when the machine, the microlight,
0:43:23 > 0:43:25was clearly massively overloaded,
0:43:25 > 0:43:27er, that felt very like the time we crashed.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33I felt really scared at one point there, and I thought
0:43:33 > 0:43:36we were hardly going to get it off the end of the runway.
0:43:42 > 0:43:46'All I'm thinking about as I fly along in those things is
0:43:46 > 0:43:48'where to land when the engine stops.'
0:43:56 > 0:43:59I don't want to go up and get rained on again.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01I'm sick of being wet and cold.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06Mikey didn't enjoy the first day of the rally,
0:44:06 > 0:44:10and today he's in no rush to get back in the air.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15I don't know my son as well as I thought I did.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18I hold my hands up to it, I don't know him as well as I thought I did.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22I wasn't sure exactly what he could cope with and I'm not sure he could
0:44:22 > 0:44:25cope with a whole rally, so let's cut it down and have a holiday.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29- Navigator I Spy, right?- OK.
0:44:29 > 0:44:30Yeah, you go first.
0:44:30 > 0:44:35I spy with my little eye something beginning with C.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38With the pressure now off, Paul and Mikey spend the day hopping
0:44:38 > 0:44:42to local airfields and doing a little sightseeing...
0:44:44 > 0:44:46..mostly on the ground.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50Do you want to go and look at this hangar? Come.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59- You like going round these airfields, don't you?- Yeah.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02- Here's a C42 coming in the door. - Oh, yeah.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04We have the biggest laugh ever.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08And I don't know what I'd do without him.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12- Nice, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16What did dawn on me was just how proud Michael is of his dad -
0:45:16 > 0:45:19that Michael's dad is Michael's hero.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22And that dawned on me without it ever having been said.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25'Michael will always be my little boy.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27'It doesn't matter if he's 40 or 50 years old -
0:45:27 > 0:45:31'he'll be my best friend and he'll always be my friend.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33'He's the best part of my world.'
0:45:37 > 0:45:39- We're not going anywhere! - Oh, this is lovely.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43Imagine, we could be munching on this burger or we could be up there flying.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46- Yeah, I'd rather down here.- There just is no comparison, is there?
0:45:51 > 0:45:55- Erm, right...- Switches on, mate, you strap yourself in.
0:45:55 > 0:46:01Antony and Will have managed to fly all of 40 miles to Halwell in Devon.
0:46:01 > 0:46:05And so far, Antony has done all the flying.
0:46:05 > 0:46:10- Can I... Can I carry on flying? - Of course.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12Good man.
0:46:12 > 0:46:16I think Will realised he wasn't going to win this race, erm,
0:46:16 > 0:46:20this rally. So something in him changed,
0:46:20 > 0:46:24and he relaxed a lot more about the race, and erm...
0:46:24 > 0:46:26I think I became more competitive.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30For God's sake, we're in a competition here - could you stop talking!
0:46:30 > 0:46:32I just got into the fun of it, just thought,
0:46:32 > 0:46:36"Why spoil a good race by being competitive? Let's just fly and see what happens, you know."
0:46:36 > 0:46:39Clear prop!
0:46:45 > 0:46:48Antony transformed, he just completely...
0:46:48 > 0:46:52seemed very happy, really, really into...
0:46:52 > 0:46:54into what was going on, you know.
0:46:58 > 0:47:02MUSIC: "Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard" by Simon and Garfunkel
0:47:05 > 0:47:08And it was a particularly fantastic flight.
0:47:13 > 0:47:18They're looking for the Cerne Abbas Giant, worth 50 points.
0:47:38 > 0:47:42Richard, meanwhile, doesn't waste a second, racing down the entire
0:47:42 > 0:47:46length of the east coast of Britain, hoovering up points.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58What a place!
0:48:07 > 0:48:10Richard did this flight from London down to Cape Town
0:48:10 > 0:48:13and I went along and drove the truck for him,
0:48:13 > 0:48:17and I sort of stepped out of my London high-heeled shoes
0:48:17 > 0:48:19and pleated skirt of the '80s
0:48:19 > 0:48:22and off we set across Africa.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25It was quite a sharp learning curve for me, I can tell you,
0:48:25 > 0:48:28but, yeah, it was about the best year of my life, I think, really.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32What most attracted you to Richard?
0:48:32 > 0:48:33Oh...
0:48:35 > 0:48:36..the eyebrows!
0:48:39 > 0:48:43It was just that life could be different with him.
0:48:43 > 0:48:47It was not going to be ever normal,
0:48:47 > 0:48:49and it hasn't.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56'My mother had an accident which put her in a wheelchair
0:48:56 > 0:48:58'when I was four, and I stayed at home
0:48:58 > 0:49:02'to look after my mother as her legs.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06'I learnt to get her out of bed, to help her to dress,
0:49:06 > 0:49:08'to put on her stockings.'
0:49:08 > 0:49:13I would in due course learn to dress her bed sores, er,
0:49:13 > 0:49:17and all these sorts of things, so you see parts of your mother, I guess,
0:49:17 > 0:49:22most children never do, and I think it adds to the feeling of claustrophobia.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27You feel this cage has descended over your life.
0:49:30 > 0:49:35And flying is the supreme antidote to that sort of claustrophobia.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48Out of everything I've ever flown,
0:49:48 > 0:49:52in the world, you cannot beat the basic microlight in flying,
0:49:52 > 0:49:54you just can't beat it.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57It might be a flying deck chair, but it's total freedom.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00You've heard the expression free as a bird - that's what it is,
0:50:00 > 0:50:03and for me, if I can't fly, I'm not free.
0:50:03 > 0:50:07Well, tomorrow's the last day, we're hoping to win it, actually...
0:50:11 > 0:50:14It's the final day of the rally.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16From all across the country,
0:50:16 > 0:50:20every team is heading back to the start point.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23The challenge is to get there at a precise time.
0:50:23 > 0:50:27But there's a penalty for being late.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30One of the crucial things on the rally is getting back here
0:50:30 > 0:50:33at an exact time, to the minute, we are timed for getting back,
0:50:33 > 0:50:35it's 4.24.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38Every minute that goes by after 4.24, we're losing 50 points.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40So if we're ten minutes late,
0:50:40 > 0:50:45we've probably wiped off the last two days flying that we've done.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49That's the time, 7.59.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54Eight o'clock. OK, we can go.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04We're lazy. You can probably see that we're still in bed,
0:51:04 > 0:51:07we've got a lovely bed, lovely bed last night,
0:51:07 > 0:51:09oh, great sleep, telly,
0:51:09 > 0:51:12little bit of brekkie this morning, it was fabulous.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20Full of optimism, Will and Antony still dream of winning.
0:51:27 > 0:51:31The first competitors have started to land back at Preston Capes.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40But after spending the morning in bed,
0:51:40 > 0:51:42Paul and Mikey have only just started.
0:51:44 > 0:51:48At the last moment, a threatening weather front moves in,
0:51:48 > 0:51:50creating extreme turbulence.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00- Whoa!- These are nasty thermals.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03- Yeah, I don't like this. - No, neither do I.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11I have two pieces of traffic, Dad.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14Over to our right, one slightly above us,
0:52:14 > 0:52:17one low down, looks like a flexwing.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27'Preston Capes ground, Echo India Delta Romeo Tango.'
0:52:27 > 0:52:30Romeo Tango, Preston Capes, go ahead.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33Echo India Delta Romeo Tango's now finals to land.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41- We're not going to get down, are we? - Yeah, we are.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47Oh, fucking hell!
0:52:47 > 0:52:51- Oh, that hurt, that was rough, did that hurt?- Yeah.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57This is, er, Woodward?
0:52:57 > 0:52:59Woodward, aye.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Despite the strong winds,
0:53:03 > 0:53:07and with seconds to go before their time slot,
0:53:07 > 0:53:10Antony decides to attempt the landing.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13It was very important to Will to be a good landing
0:53:13 > 0:53:17and he wanted to do it, I think, but I insisted I was going to do it.
0:53:42 > 0:53:47The sense of relief of touching down that last time is, it was intense.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54It was, it was a great landing, and it was...
0:53:54 > 0:53:58it wasn't just a great landing, it was, it was a terrific feeling.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03Woodward... tell me how many minutes late?
0:54:03 > 0:54:0516.24 and he landed at 16.25.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08- One minute.- Not bad.- Very good.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12We'd done it, we'd finished, and, er, and my family were there
0:54:12 > 0:54:16and I could see them as we came down, it was great.
0:54:16 > 0:54:20You have no idea of the stress...
0:54:20 > 0:54:23- Daddy!- Hello, darling!
0:54:23 > 0:54:25Hello!
0:54:31 > 0:54:34That's Richard, that's Richard.
0:54:45 > 0:54:50Well, I am completely and 100% knackered.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56With the last plane down, the counting begins.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00Each team's tracker is collected to work out where they've flown,
0:55:00 > 0:55:03whether they've hit or missed their turn points,
0:55:03 > 0:55:05and what their final score is.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09Winners and losers
0:55:09 > 0:55:12are divided into categories -
0:55:12 > 0:55:15those equipped with satnavs
0:55:15 > 0:55:17and those, like Will and Antony,
0:55:17 > 0:55:20who used just a map and a compass.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25In, er... Let's not beat about the bush, in last place...
0:55:25 > 0:55:29- Has to be!- Has to be!
0:55:29 > 0:55:32..with 236 points,
0:55:32 > 0:55:34- Paul McMahon.- Ah, bow, Mikey.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:55:40 > 0:55:42We did it!
0:55:42 > 0:55:44We did it, son, we did it.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48With Paul and Mikey taking last place in the satnav category,
0:55:48 > 0:55:52Will and Antony in their category are also last.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59Ah, that's lovely, thank you.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07With 2,000 points,
0:56:07 > 0:56:10Richard Meredith Hardy.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14And Richard, despite flying all the way to Scotland,
0:56:14 > 0:56:17missed Cape Wrath by just 15 metres,
0:56:17 > 0:56:20and only manages sixth place.
0:56:24 > 0:56:2815 metres! Can you believe it? 15 bloody metres.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32Over... Flying across all that bloody sea,
0:56:32 > 0:56:34and it's from here to that car.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37It's been a long gap, but it's like...
0:56:37 > 0:56:40It's like a friendship that was destined to be.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43It didn't happen 20 years ago, but it seems to have happened now.
0:56:43 > 0:56:47It's a bit like that, really. I don't think the connection
0:56:47 > 0:56:51will be lost, and joking aside, who knows what next year might bring?
0:56:51 > 0:56:54Sixth place, I'm sure I can do better than that,
0:56:54 > 0:56:57so, er, next year maybe.
0:56:57 > 0:56:59Good luck for next year!
0:56:59 > 0:57:03It's been totally emotional. Mate, fantastic.
0:57:06 > 0:57:10I'll certainly fly again with Will, who is, you know,
0:57:10 > 0:57:13who is a lovely mate and will be always, I think.
0:57:13 > 0:57:16To me, it's like a flying holiday,
0:57:16 > 0:57:21it's brilliant, really enjoyed it, such a laugh.
0:57:21 > 0:57:22Er, yeah.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25For you to do what you did, it's brilliant.
0:57:25 > 0:57:27Brilliant, you are a man now.
0:57:27 > 0:57:31You are a man now. Grown up and you are a man now.
0:57:31 > 0:57:35And next time we do it, we'll do it in your plane and you fly me.
0:57:35 > 0:57:39Michael's not any more important to me now than before we left,
0:57:39 > 0:57:43it's just that I never realised how important he was to me
0:57:43 > 0:57:45in the first place, and now I do.
0:57:45 > 0:57:47He even worried about me
0:57:47 > 0:57:51and that's... I found, "Wow, I've never seen him like this before."
0:57:51 > 0:57:54I knew he cared for me, but I didn't know
0:57:54 > 0:57:56he'd worry about me the whole time.
0:57:56 > 0:58:01- Oh, Michael, you've got some guts, you know that?- Really?
0:58:01 > 0:58:04He had a medal for finishing the rally,
0:58:04 > 0:58:07which still has pride of place in his bedroom,
0:58:07 > 0:58:10but you have to sit back and wonder, is it pride of place
0:58:10 > 0:58:11because we finished the rally,
0:58:11 > 0:58:14or is it pride of place because we went away for a few days,
0:58:14 > 0:58:16and we had a great time?
0:58:19 > 0:58:23And I like that little element of mystery,
0:58:23 > 0:58:26I'd be happy that I never know which one it is.
0:58:49 > 0:58:52Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:52 > 0:58:55E-mail: subtitling@bbc.co.uk