Overview

• Fielder spent two and a half years earning a Boeing 737 type rating and flew 150 actors in the season two finale of HBO’s The Rehearsal to test cockpit communication.
• The show’s central thesis is that breakdowns in pilot–co-pilot dialogue can contribute to airline disasters, a theory Fielder explored through elaborate simulations and real-flight experience.
• In a statement to CNN, the FAA said it mandates recurring Crew Resource Management training for all crewmembers but sees no data linking communication lapses to major crashes.
• Fielder rejected the FAA’s response as “dumb,” arguing that its slide-based instruction fails to create the emotional stakes needed for pilots to challenge unsafe decisions.
• John Goglia, former NTSB member and show adviser, backed Fielder’s findings and plans to use The Rehearsal scenarios in his aviation safety curriculum.