Nathan Fielder exploits flight loophole, dodges potential autism diagnosis in shocking Rehearsal finale.

Nathan Fielder shocked fans by actually flying a Boeing 737 in his show’s wild season finale.

The comedian found a clever loophole in aviation rules and dodged potential medical issues to pull off this jaw-dropping stunt.

From Rookie to Pilot

Learning to fly wasn’t easy for Nathan. While most students go solo after just 30 hours, he needed a whopping 120 hours of practice before instructors felt comfortable.

His struggles with landing had teachers scratching their heads, passing him around like a puzzling case study.

Finding the Loophole

Despite having only 280 flight hours (far below the typical 1,500 required), Fielder discovered he could legally pilot a 737 with non-paying passengers.

His solution? Fill the plane with actors! Aviation expert John Goglia confirmed this unusual but legitimate workaround.

Medical Questions Linger

Before the flight, Nathan faced a medical form asking about mental conditions.

Though never diagnosed with anxiety, he sought an fMRI scan that could detect various conditions including autism.

When told results would take two weeks, he proceeded anyway after learning pilots often avoid such diagnoses to keep their licenses.

Communication Experiment

Nathan’s real goal was exposing communication problems in cockpits.

He created scenarios to test how pilots handle unspoken thoughts, even making his copilot uncomfortable by having another plane fly nearby with cameras.

His “Captain Allears” role-play exercise eventually revealed he’d forgotten to retract the flaps during takeoff.

The Shocking Finale

After successfully landing to passenger applause, Nathan received a voicemail about his medical scan results—which he promptly deleted.

This powerful moment showed how pilots might ignore potential health issues to keep flying.

Later scenes revealed he continued piloting 737s, sometimes flying solo over the Atlantic when his copilot took breaks.

The Ultimate Message

“They only let the smartest people fly planes this size,” Nathan concludes. “No one with problems is allowed in a cockpit.

So if you’re here, you must be fine.” His darkly comedic statement perfectly captures the show’s commentary on willful ignorance in aviation safety.