Using movie sets, a film studio aims to help people get over their fear of flying


It's the Safest Airline in the World, thanks to the fact that it doesn't go anywhere. At Air Hollywood, the goal isn't to get passengers to far-flung destinations, but to get them on a plane, period.
Air Hollywood is a film studio in Pacoima, California, where hits like Bridesmaids and Lost filmed scenes in fake airplanes and terminals. Starting earlier this year, the studio began to offer classes to help people get over their fear of flying, enlisting the help of retired airline pilots like Capt. Ron Nielsen, who told a recent class: "You're not alone. We're going to demystify fear of flying. There are no drugs, there are no secret pills. All you do is you give yourself one moment of peace without the pink elephant jumping out at you."
An estimated 60 million people have a fear of flying, the Los Angeles Times says, with half refusing to fly and the others turning to medications and therapy. At Air Hollywood, students get the entire flying experience over their two-day class, even going through a fake security line in a fake terminal. Once on a Boeing 757, guest speakers talk them through simulated turbulence, and discuss aircraft maintenance, engineering, and more. There are other classes available, including sessions for children with autism who are afraid to fly, and people who travel with their dogs.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Air Hollywood's owner, Talaat Captan, is aware that on one day a movie scene featuring a plane crash is filmed on the lot, and the next a class is held to get people over that very fear. "We scare people in one building and help them in the other," he said.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
5 artfully drawn cartoons about Donald Trump's Epstein doodle
Cartoons Artists take on a mountainous legacy, creepy art, and more
-
Violent videos of Charlie Kirk’s death are renewing debate over online censorship
Talking Points Social media ‘promises unfiltered access, but without guarantees of truth and without protection from harm’
-
What led to Poland invoking NATO’s Article 4 and where could it lead?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION After a Russian drone blitz, Warsaw’s rare move to invoke the important NATO statute has potentially moved Europe closer to continent-wide warfare
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
A long weekend in Zürich
The Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle