0:00:02 > 0:00:04A close call, a moment of danger. LOUD BANG
0:00:04 > 0:00:07- When life can hang in the balance. - Oh, my God.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11A split second, where the outcome could go either way.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13If he's alive, it's going to be a miracle, really.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17The difference between disaster and survival.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19He was shouting, "Don't die, Mummy!"
0:00:19 > 0:00:23These are the people who have been there and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24SPECTATORS GASP AND SHOUT
0:00:24 > 0:00:26I thought he'd broken his neck.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Their instincts and resources coupled with
0:00:29 > 0:00:33the quick thinking of others helped to pull them through.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35We were just engulfed in flames.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39And their dramatic experiences were recorded on camera.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43I wasn't going to be coming up. It was curtains, it was over.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45It's a day they'll never forget,
0:00:45 > 0:00:47the day they had a close call.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Today on Close Calls...
0:01:05 > 0:01:10a mother and child cling to each other on a sheer rock face.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Adventurous nine-year-old Sam
0:01:12 > 0:01:15has climbed up more than 40 feet and got stuck.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19His desperate mum's impulsive response
0:01:19 > 0:01:21is to claw her way up to reach him.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25She has, but now she has another major problem.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28I looked down, pretty quickly, really, I'd worked out,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31that there was no way I could get Sam down the rocks.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34She said, "We can't get down, we just can't get down."
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Also today, two of the army's top parachutists
0:01:40 > 0:01:42are locked in a desperate struggle
0:01:42 > 0:01:46when a stunt goes horribly wrong at a public display.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52As I hit Wayne, one side of the parachute went round his arm
0:01:52 > 0:01:53and the other bit went round his leg
0:01:53 > 0:01:55and it collapsed that side of the parachute.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01The elite Red Devils have become entangled.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Now one must hold on to the other as they plummet towards the ground.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Westcombe Beach, south Devon.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19A mum cradles her terrified young son in her arms.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23They're clinging to a sheer rock face with no way down.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25Mum of two Kate has scaled the vertical rock
0:02:25 > 0:02:29to try and rescue her stranded nine-year-old son Sam.
0:02:30 > 0:02:31I knew I had to get up to him.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34I just needed to be there with him up on the cliff.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Now they are both perched on a tiny ledge more than 40 feet up.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43This picture is taken by horrified husband and dad Rich,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45watching from below.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47She just said, "There is no way we can get down,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49"there's absolutely no chance.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51"I'm not doing it, I can't do it with Sam.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53"We need some help to get down."
0:03:02 > 0:03:06Kate and her husband Rich live with their two children in West Yorkshire.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08The whole family love the great outdoors,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10none more so than young Sam.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Sam's always been extremely adventurous.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16He's never happier than when he's outdoors.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Inside, he's a bit of a caged animal,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21whereas if you get him outside, he's just in his element.
0:03:21 > 0:03:22From an early age,
0:03:22 > 0:03:26both Sam and his six-year-old sister Cleo have enjoyed climbing.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28The whole family do.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31They regularly go to the local sports centre
0:03:31 > 0:03:35to use the indoor climbing wall, but Sam much prefers the open air.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37I like free climbing.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39I don't like it so much when I'm on the walls
0:03:39 > 0:03:41and I'm in a harness and I'm inside.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46He climbs trees and he climbs the bank.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49It's the summer holidays
0:03:49 > 0:03:53and the family are down in Devon for a week, visiting Kate's mum, Jenny.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56On the first day of their trip, a sunny Saturday,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58they head for a remote beach.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01We drove down to Westcombe on the coast
0:04:01 > 0:04:02and the children were really excited.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Sam and Cleo were playing quite happily on the beach
0:04:05 > 0:04:06with their granny,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09so me and Kate just decided to go up onto one of the cliff tops.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Sam and Cleo and Gran go for a walk too,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15but soon Sam's adventurous instincts take over.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Our granny was looking after us
0:04:19 > 0:04:23and basically Sam wanted to explore the rocks.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29And I just went sort of ahead and then when I got to the rock,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33I was quite excited - "That looks good, I'll go and climb that."
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Far ahead of Cleo and gran Jenny, Sam has found a rock formation
0:04:38 > 0:04:42known as a stack, a column of rock rising from the ground.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45This one at Westcombe Beach towers 60 feet into the air.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Sam can't resist climbing up.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49The rocks were very loose
0:04:49 > 0:04:53and, like, I was quite lucky that I didn't fall,
0:04:53 > 0:04:58cos I always had to find a stable place every time I stepped.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03Sam's enjoying the challenge and has no thoughts of stopping.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06But this is no climbing wall and there are no safety ropes.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11He climbs higher and higher, but he soon realises he's gone too far.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15I sort of looked down and I thought,
0:05:15 > 0:05:16"Oh, I can't get down.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20"There'll probably be another route down."
0:05:20 > 0:05:24But there isn't. The stack tapers inwards below him.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26It may have been fun to climb up,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30but it's impossible for nine-year-old Sam to climb back down safely.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34I was sort of scared of how high I was.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Then I sort of shouted help.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42But on the isolated beach, his cries go unnoticed,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45until six-year-old Cleo and gran Jenny catch up
0:05:45 > 0:05:48and hear him calling for help.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51We looked up and up and up
0:05:51 > 0:05:53and then there he was, sitting on a ledge.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56My grandma said, "I'll go and get Mum and Dad."
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Kate and Rich are just returning to the beach from their clifftop walk.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05My mum and Cleo were sort of running back towards us
0:06:05 > 0:06:08and I knew that there was something wrong.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13I said that he was up the rock and he's shouting help and crying.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16As soon as we got round the corner,
0:06:16 > 0:06:20we were both a bit puzzled, cos it was like, "OK, well, where is he?"
0:06:21 > 0:06:25And it took me a good 30 seconds to realise
0:06:25 > 0:06:28that I basically had to look straight up to see him,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30he was so high.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Kate is horrified to see her young son
0:06:32 > 0:06:35precariously perched on a narrow ledge.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38He's 40 feet up and absolutely petrified.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42I was worried that he might panic and fall
0:06:42 > 0:06:44and I just didn't want to see him frightened.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49Before Rich can stop her, Kate's motherly instincts take over.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52In a heartbeat, she begins scaling the rock face to try and reach Sam.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54I knew I had to get up to him.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56I just needed to be there with him up on the cliff.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Rich tries to find a more accessible path.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02I sort of went round the base of the stack
0:07:02 > 0:07:04to see if there was a safer way up
0:07:04 > 0:07:06and that's when I realised there was no alternative.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07This was the only way to go up.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10By the time he came back round the corner,
0:07:10 > 0:07:11he realised and I realised
0:07:11 > 0:07:15that there was no way I could come down from where I was.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19To Rich's horror, his wife is now in just as much danger as Sam.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22My concern in that moment switched to Kate,
0:07:22 > 0:07:23cos I knew Sam was there on a ledge,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26but I knew she was going to try and climb up to him
0:07:26 > 0:07:29and that she wasn't safe at all.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Compelled by the cries of her distraught son,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Kate keeps climbing up and up.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38I got to a point where I felt like I was stuck,
0:07:38 > 0:07:42because I'd got pretty high, Sam was very close to me,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45but I couldn't quite see him, there was an overhang
0:07:45 > 0:07:47sticking out in the rock.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51And I just thought, "Where is she?" I could just see a drop.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57I hoped that she hadn't fallen.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00He got really, really upset at that point, when I got stuck.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03- He was beside himself. - He was shouting to Mum...
0:08:04 > 0:08:06.."Don't die, Mummy!"
0:08:06 > 0:08:10And that combined with Rich and my mum and Cleo on the beach
0:08:10 > 0:08:13screaming at me not to go any higher...
0:08:14 > 0:08:17..was quite overwhelming and I think that's why I became...
0:08:17 > 0:08:19I sort of froze and became quite scared at that point.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21But it's too late to turn back.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24From where I was standing underneath,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26I could just see both her legs were just shaking,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28which is obviously very dangerous.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30If you're climbing, you have to be very sure-footed.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31She'd got no ropes on,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34so at that point, I was really starting to panic.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38I did get really frightened and I felt foolish.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42I felt like I'd made a mistake, because I've got two children
0:08:42 > 0:08:44and now I was putting my own life at risk as well.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49Although she's shaking, Kate's still desperate to reach her son.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53She looks for a way of pulling herself around an overhanging rock
0:08:53 > 0:08:55and up onto the ledge where Sam is perched.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00"Don't fall, don't fall and kill yourself."
0:09:00 > 0:09:02I just... Cos I just...
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Cos she said to me, "I'm not on a stable ledge."
0:09:07 > 0:09:10It was a bit of mind over matter. I said to Sam,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12"Sweetheart, I'm going to be OK,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14"but do you think you could be quiet for a moment
0:09:14 > 0:09:17"while Mummy concentrates on getting up the last bit to you,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19"then we'll be together and it'll be OK?"
0:09:19 > 0:09:22She had to say, "Shush, Sam, shush!"
0:09:22 > 0:09:26He was really good. He went completely quiet then.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Kate needs to keep cool.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32One wrong move and it's a 40-foot drop onto solid rock.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36I thought, "If I get this wrong and I fall, it'll probably kill me,"
0:09:36 > 0:09:40cos I knew that it was much higher than I'd ever climbed before.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44Kate blindly feels for the rocks above with one hand,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47hoping to find something strong enough to grasp hold of.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51I managed to reach up and find some tufts of grass just over the rock
0:09:51 > 0:09:54that was sticking out and I, um...
0:09:54 > 0:09:57was testing them to see if they'd take my weight.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Once I'd found what I thought was going to be
0:10:01 > 0:10:03the best handholds I was going to get,
0:10:03 > 0:10:05I just pulled myself round the rock and luckily...
0:10:05 > 0:10:08that grass was strong enough to take my weight
0:10:08 > 0:10:11and I did get over and round the top, then got up to him.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Kate can finally comfort her child.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18Richard's photo from the beach shows the staggering height
0:10:18 > 0:10:19the pair have climbed.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Kate pulls Sam in for a cuddle.
0:10:21 > 0:10:22There was enough space for us
0:10:22 > 0:10:27to sit on a ledge with our backs pushed right up against the rocks.
0:10:27 > 0:10:28Sort of clinging on,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32to know that we weren't going to fall immediately, at least,
0:10:32 > 0:10:38and I just had on overwhelming sense of relief and I was just so happy
0:10:38 > 0:10:41to be there with him after seeing him stuck up there on his own.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Later...
0:10:44 > 0:10:46a Royal Navy team attempt to rescue Kate and Sam.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50It was immediately apparent that we needed to winch them off.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54But their hazardous location and the helicopter's downdraft
0:10:54 > 0:10:57makes their position even more precarious.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00The wind was so powerful and my mum was just holding on to me.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Whitehaven, Cumbria.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14The British Army's parachute display team, the Red Devils,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17are performing at a local air show.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Spectators' cameras are rolling.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Suddenly, drama in the skies above -
0:11:22 > 0:11:26team members Mike French and Wayne Shorthouse have become entangled.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Mike's parachute is wrapped around Wayne's body.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32They are descending much faster than they should.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35The crowd below realise the danger.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41The two paratroopers are fighting to free themselves.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43It's a race against time.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47They are 1,700 feet up, but less than a minute from the ground.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Corporal Mike French was born with paratrooper blood.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00His father and uncle were both in a Parachute Regiment,
0:12:00 > 0:12:04so when he left school, Mike headed straight for the army.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07I joined the Parachute Regiment when I was just under 17,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10did Kosovo when I first joined the battalion at 18,
0:12:10 > 0:12:15Northern Ireland a few times, Iraq twice, Afghanistan twice.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Mike is now a member of the Red Devils parachute display team
0:12:19 > 0:12:21and has over 1,800 jumps under his belt.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25To the average person, the thought of jumping out of a plane
0:12:25 > 0:12:29might seem terrifying, but Mike absolutely thrives on the rush.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30There's no better feeling
0:12:30 > 0:12:32than falling through the sky at that speed.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35It's more a strange excitement more than anything else.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37It's that little... It's the reason we do this job.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Guys wouldn't do it if it was boring.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42I think we'd go find something else to do.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48Mike's pal and fellow Red Devil Corporal Wayne Shorthouse
0:12:48 > 0:12:51has served alongside him in conflict zones.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54He also loves the thrill of falling through the air.
0:12:54 > 0:12:55It's the adrenaline rush, really.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58You're jumping into different arenas, different sizes
0:12:58 > 0:13:00and it presents all these new challenges.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Mike and Wayne are both proud of being part of the Red Devils,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07the group of 12 elite soldiers drawn from the Parachute Regiment.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Their main goal is to promote the army and help with recruitment.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14We do up to 50 displays every year round the country
0:13:14 > 0:13:16and some abroad as well.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18There's a lot of postings we can do within the army
0:13:18 > 0:13:20and this is probably one of the most fun.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22It's a great job, absolutely love it.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Mike and Wayne have been performing together in the Red Devils
0:13:26 > 0:13:27for the last five years.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30One of their most spectacular stunts
0:13:30 > 0:13:33is a highly skilled canopy formation called a stack.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Two of us on top of each other
0:13:35 > 0:13:38and then we split to a formation called a bi-hand,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41where we'll be on top of each other, then both of us be side by side.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44It essentially puts our two parachutes next to each other,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47attached at the waist, so as we're flying through the sky,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49if we each pull down on our outside toggles,
0:13:49 > 0:13:51the parachutes turn away from each other
0:13:51 > 0:13:53and we'll dive towards the earth.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55Mike's role in the team is stack pilot,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59meaning he's in charge of coordinating stunts during a jump.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Display parachuting...
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Well, skydiving in general is very dangerous, but display parachuting
0:14:04 > 0:14:06and especially the canopy formations -
0:14:06 > 0:14:08one of the most dangerous sports you can do, really.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12A lot can go wrong and sometimes it does go wrong.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Today, the Red Devils are at Whitehaven Air Show
0:14:19 > 0:14:20in the Lake District.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22It's an overcast day,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25so the team will be jumping from below the clouds.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Spectators round the harbour are watching and filming the display.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33The plan is for the team of six jumpers to land in the water.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35The ground crew, photographed here,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38will use red flares to help guide them in.
0:14:38 > 0:14:422,500 feet above, the team leader is the first to leave the plane.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51Now it's Mike and Wayne's turn to jump, one after the other.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52Mike was going to be the stack pilot,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55which means he was going to be going second and I went first,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58so I exited the aircraft, then Mike exited straight after me.
0:14:58 > 0:15:04They reach speeds of 120mph as they freefall through the sky.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Within seconds, Mike and Wayne deploy their parachutes.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11Both men also have a reserve chute in case of problems,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14but for now, everything is going according to plan.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19This spectator's footage shows the beginning of the planned stunt.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Mike's on the left and Wayne's on the right.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Mike flies towards Wayne.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26They're aiming for a controlled collision.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28I get a bit lower, get down to where he is
0:15:28 > 0:15:30and I hit my parachute into his back.
0:15:30 > 0:15:31I can actually grab hold of it
0:15:31 > 0:15:34and I'm going to pull myself down into his lines.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38They've done this countless times before, but this time...
0:15:38 > 0:15:40something goes drastically wrong.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47As I hit Wayne, one side of the parachute went round his arm,
0:15:47 > 0:15:48the other bit went round his leg
0:15:48 > 0:15:50and it collapsed that side of the parachute
0:15:50 > 0:15:53so then there was just one side of the parachute open.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Then eventually that came round and wrapped round him
0:15:55 > 0:15:57and we were completely entangled.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02They've got just 55 seconds before they hit the ground.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04In the 50-year history of the Red Devils,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07there's never been a situation like this during a display.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Photographer Peter King is in the crowd,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20capturing the drama above through his zoom lens.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23His pictures show the seriousness of the situation.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Mike's parachute is wrapped around Wayne and they are falling fast.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31The guys actually caught each other in the air.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32The crowd started to notice,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34there was almost a ripple through the crowd.
0:16:34 > 0:16:35- CROWD MEMBER:- Oh, no!
0:16:35 > 0:16:38But we could see guys with legs swinging.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41One guy was quite clearly hanging off the other.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Also watching from below is Red Devils team member
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Lance Corporal Ian Cain, part of the ground team today.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51There is a moment where you suddenly go,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54"Oh, dear, this hasn't gone quite right.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56"How are they going to deal with it?"
0:16:58 > 0:17:00At first, the adrenaline starts to pump through your body,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03so the first thing you do is stop, take a deep breath
0:17:03 > 0:17:06and just assess what's actually going on.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09It's happening very quickly.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12They are both trying to keep a cool head.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Wayne needs to untangle himself from the chute so it can open fully.
0:17:16 > 0:17:17If they can separate quickly,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21they've still got time to land safely in the water below.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24I actually initially saw it round his arm and thought,
0:17:24 > 0:17:26"That's all right, he'll get that off in a minute."
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Looked around and then the next time I looked up,
0:17:28 > 0:17:30it was back round him again.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Wayne is fighting to separate them, but because of Mike's weight,
0:17:36 > 0:17:40the parachute cords are wrapped too tight across his body and he can't.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44I thought, "We'll give him a couple of hundred feet to get it off"
0:17:44 > 0:17:46and then at that point, I'm shouting out,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48"OK, Wayne, just keep hold of me."
0:17:48 > 0:17:50They have one other option.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54Mike could sever the cords of his collapsed main parachute
0:17:54 > 0:17:58using a safety knife and activate his emergency reserve chute.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02But as they plummet towards the earth, there's a huge problem.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06We couldn't precisely tell you how high we were off the ground.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09If I come away, my parachute may not have time to open.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12We thought, instead of cutting away,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15it'd be a safer option for us to land together.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18It's a game changer -
0:18:18 > 0:18:20they've gone from struggling to break apart
0:18:20 > 0:18:23to now desperately trying to stay together.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26Mike's only hope is that Wayne can hang on to him
0:18:26 > 0:18:29and bring them both down using his canopy.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33I could see the top guy, Wayne, kicking his legs
0:18:33 > 0:18:37and I could see that he was trying to catch the parachute.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40My concern was, "I hope they are locked off,
0:18:40 > 0:18:42"I hope he has got him and he's not going
0:18:42 > 0:18:47"to suddenly fall away from him, cos then things would be bad."
0:18:47 > 0:18:51But Wayne's view of the ground is obstructed by Mike's collapsed chute.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Wayne has to steer while Mike shouts up directions.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01In just 20 seconds, they'll touch down.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Instinct and experience kick in.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Me and Wayne have known each other
0:19:06 > 0:19:08and worked with each other for years,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11so we know each other better than we know ourselves, really.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Mike could actually see what was actually going on above me,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16cos my view was quite restricted.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18I'm shouting up directions
0:19:18 > 0:19:22and Wayne's pretty blindly pulling down on different toggles and risers
0:19:22 > 0:19:24to turn us into that arena.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26On the ground,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29the other Red Devils are landing in the harbour as planned.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35But photographer Peter is concerned Mike and Wayne are way off course.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41We started to get a sense of how quickly they were going past us.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45This shot shows the boys coming in some distance from the landing zone,
0:19:45 > 0:19:46the other side of the harbour wall.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49That's when I thought they would have been in trouble,
0:19:49 > 0:19:50because the harbour on the other side,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53it's got a lot more of the more industrial ships,
0:19:53 > 0:19:54a lot of masts, a lot of ropes.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57But Wayne and Mike must land in the water.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Their rate of descent is too quick to hit the ground.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02A safety recce the day before
0:20:02 > 0:20:06had identified the far side of the harbour as an emergency alternative.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08They aim for it.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Mike was saying to me, "We've got to steer to the left,"
0:20:11 > 0:20:12I would steer to the left,
0:20:12 > 0:20:14and we saw that we had a safer landing area,
0:20:14 > 0:20:15so we took that option.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17But landing isn't their only fear.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20When they hit the water, there's a real danger Wayne,
0:20:20 > 0:20:24still tangled in the parachute cords, could be dragged under.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Mike might now need to rescue his mate.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31I'm covering my cut-away handle and keeping an eye on Wayne.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36As soon as I hit the water, I actually cut my main away.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39If the lines were actually wrapped around his arms, his legs,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42then he'd have gone down.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44CROWD APPLAUDS
0:20:44 > 0:20:46I swam over to him.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48I just saw his big grinning head sticking out the water.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50It was all fine. There was a boat there waiting for us,
0:20:50 > 0:20:54cos we have a boat for every parachutist in the water,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57so those guys are pretty much shadowing us as we're coming down,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00but, yeah, the crowd, I think they enjoyed the show.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Photographer Peter and the rest of the crowd are happy to see
0:21:06 > 0:21:08the two men safe on the recovery boat.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12As they came round the corner, you could feel a little bit of relief,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15a little bit of a lift, a lot of applause, a lot of shouting.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17The guys were obviously happy and waving
0:21:17 > 0:21:19and everything seemed all right.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Oh, well, I was relieved, I was happy,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24and I thought, "Yeah, I can't wait to see them."
0:21:24 > 0:21:27It was as close as you'd want it to be on a display.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31There's no getting away from that - it didn't go right.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Local Cumbrian Mike has chosen the unluckiest of days
0:21:34 > 0:21:35to bring his family along to watch.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38The first thing was when we got out of the water
0:21:38 > 0:21:39and my parents were stood there.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42My mum was a little bit worried, she wasn't too keen on the idea,
0:21:42 > 0:21:44but my dad's ex-Parachute Regiment,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47my uncle's ex-Parachute Regiment, so they...
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Yeah, they just called me an idiot and had a bit of a laugh.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Mike and Wayne have so much faith in each other that,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55for them, it's just been another day at the office
0:21:55 > 0:21:58and undeterred, just two days later, as this picture shows,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02they're up in the sky again, doing what they do best.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04A similar display, but I was on the bottom this time.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07So...it was quite nerve-racking to start with,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10but just good to get back in the air to do it again.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Those guys are super-cool, aren't they?
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Now, we all know that boys will be boys,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27but here's one whose taste for adventure got him
0:22:27 > 0:22:29and his mum into real trouble.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Back to Westcombe Beach, south Devon,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41where Kate has climbed more than 40 feet up a vertical rock stack
0:22:41 > 0:22:44to reach her stranded nine-year-old son Sam.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47The adventurous youngster loves to climb,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49but this time, he's gone too far.
0:22:52 > 0:22:57On the beach below, the rest of the family are holding their breath.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59I looked down and they were obviously waiting to hear
0:22:59 > 0:23:01what I had to say, so I said...
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Pretty quickly, really,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06I'd worked out that there was no way I could get Sam down the rocks.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10She said, "We can't get down. We just can't get down."
0:23:12 > 0:23:16So that's when I said to Kate's mum I'd go off inland
0:23:16 > 0:23:18and try and get some help.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20But it's no easy matter.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23There's no phone signal on the isolated beach.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25His car is parked over half a mile away
0:23:25 > 0:23:27and the nearest village is a five-minute drive.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29I started driving towards the village
0:23:29 > 0:23:32and kept stopping, kept stopping - still no signal.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35I started knocking on doors, knocked on two or three doors
0:23:35 > 0:23:36and no-one was there.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Then I saw this man with his child in a garden and just said,
0:23:38 > 0:23:40"I need to ring the emergency services.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42"My phone's not working - can I borrow your phone?"
0:23:42 > 0:23:45That's when I rang the police, got back in the car,
0:23:45 > 0:23:46shot back down to the beach.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51Kate and Sam have now been huddled together on the rock face for an hour
0:23:51 > 0:23:54when finally, help begins to arrive.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Fairly soon after he got back, the coastguards arrived.
0:23:57 > 0:23:58They came really quickly.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01They turn up equipped to climb,
0:24:01 > 0:24:03but once they see the pair's location,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06they call in the Royal Navy helicopter for Culdrose in Cornwall,
0:24:06 > 0:24:0860 miles away.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Pilot Mike Luscombe and his crew are there in 30 minutes.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15We got told there were two people stuck on a cliff,
0:24:15 > 0:24:19so what we will always do is get there as quickly as we can
0:24:19 > 0:24:21and then assess the situation.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25As they arrive, Rich takes a photo of the coastguard
0:24:25 > 0:24:28guiding the helicopter in with a flare.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Mike and his crew can't quite believe what they find.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32Our first impression as a crew was,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34"How on earth did they get up there?"
0:24:34 > 0:24:37It was just a really unusual place to find somebody.
0:24:37 > 0:24:38It was immediately apparent
0:24:38 > 0:24:40that we were going to need to winch them off.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42The trouble, of course,
0:24:42 > 0:24:44is that if we just come straight over the top, our downwash -
0:24:44 > 0:24:46there's nine tonnes or so of helicopter -
0:24:46 > 0:24:50the downwash from that could possibly have dislodged them.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52The power of the helicopter's rotor blades
0:24:52 > 0:24:56is like a gale-force wind directly downwards over Kate and Sam's heads.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58They're hanging on for dear life.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02The wind was so powerful and my mum was just holding on to me.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05It really did feel like it was going to blow us off the rock.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Actually, that turned out to be very frightening again.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11The plan is to lower a winchman onto the rock stack
0:25:11 > 0:25:13to pluck Kate and Sam to safety.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17I stood off to the side, we put our crewman down at a similar height
0:25:17 > 0:25:21to where the people were, but around the other side of the rock stack.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24I traversed the helicopter sideways to where he needed to be,
0:25:24 > 0:25:27then he did a Spider-Man impression
0:25:27 > 0:25:29and basically scampered round the side
0:25:29 > 0:25:30and grabbed hold of them.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Down on the beach, Rich films on his mobile phone
0:25:34 > 0:25:37as the winchman reaches his wife and son.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41Because there were two of them and because the beach was right there
0:25:41 > 0:25:44at the bottom, we decided the best and the quickest way
0:25:44 > 0:25:46of doing the rescue would be to put them both in the strop
0:25:46 > 0:25:48with our crewman still there,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51so we had all three of them on the end of the wire,
0:25:51 > 0:25:52lift them from the rock stack,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55traverse 40-50 feet, whatever it was,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57and then gently let them down onto the beach.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Yeah, that was very emotional, that moment.
0:26:03 > 0:26:04The actual rescue, in a way,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07was more emotional than having them on the cliff,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09because I think that's when I realised
0:26:09 > 0:26:11how serious the situation had become.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15You're just seeing your wife and your child
0:26:15 > 0:26:19being rescued from a rock where they're in a huge amount of danger,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22or they could have been potentially in a massive amount of danger.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29Finally, after two and a half hours of being stuck on the tiny ledge,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Kate and Sam are lowered onto the beach.
0:26:34 > 0:26:39We were so relieved and happy to see Cleo and my mum
0:26:39 > 0:26:43and Rich on the beach and we definitely had a big cuddle.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45But Sam was jumping about.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49He was really relieved that he'd went on a helicopter.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Sam may have enjoyed the journey down,
0:26:53 > 0:26:57but it's the journey up that his mum and dad want to discuss with him.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00We said we needed to make some clear rules in the future.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02I said that I didn't want to stop him climbing,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05but he needed to ask every time
0:27:05 > 0:27:08and, actually, we stayed in Devon for the rest of the week
0:27:08 > 0:27:11and he was very good - every time he wanted to climb something,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14he asked me and we generally went up together.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17It's an experience the whole family will never forget.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19There could have been a very different outcome
0:27:19 > 0:27:22if Kate hadn't risked her own life to reach her son.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24With all these things, it's only with hindsight
0:27:24 > 0:27:27you realise how dangerous it is. Sam could have killed himself,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30she could have killed herself climbing up.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34And if it wasn't for her being that brave, he would have been...
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Oh, it could have been a lot, lot worse.
0:27:38 > 0:27:39She just...
0:27:40 > 0:27:42She was a hero and she climbed up.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47I felt really lucky, because everything worked out
0:27:47 > 0:27:50and I didn't fall.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Yeah, we were very lucky
0:27:52 > 0:27:55and very glad that things worked out the way they did.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10The lengths and heights a mum will go to for their child.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Join us next time for more close calls.