HBO
Nathan Fielder’s HBO series The Rehearsal may actually be affecting change in the aviation industry, as a new bill seemingly inspired by the series was approved by the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in June.
According to report, the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted to approve the Mental Health in Aviation Act back in June, which would would require the FAA to encourage pilots to disclose mental health conditions.
Fielder’s HBO series The Rehearsal explored the mental healthy of commercial pilots and how their relationships with their co-pilot affect flight safety — currently, for example, pilots do not disclose their mental health condition out of fear of getting fired.
Congress approved Mental Health in Aviation Act following the release of The Rehearsal
“But actually, after the show aired, John [Goglia, former National Transportation Safety Board member] texted me and said that a bill that’s been stuck in the House for years about pilot mental health finally went through and was passed, and went to the Senate, and he was talking to the young staffers, and he said, ‘I think the show pushed them to [do it],'” Fielder told Deadline.
“I guess the young people make all the decisions. He’s like, ‘That’s how it works’. Anyway, I don’t know if it did anything, but it was nice to hear. That’s the most recent update.”
The Mental Health in Aviation Act would allocate $13.7M per year to recruit professionals including psychiatrists.
The second season of The Rehearsal culminated in Fielder, after working his way up to being licensed to fly a 737, piloted a two-hour flight with about 150 actors on board and cameras in the cockpit in order to provide further evidence and research into his thesis that cockpit communication can be improved.
The series also earned a bevy of nominations at this years Emmy Awards, including for Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series, Outstanding Picture Editing For A Single Camera Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series.