The twins are at uni now, Pete's taken early retirement from the rigs, and he and Claire are moving to Tuscany. Or they would be if Claire could overcome her flying phobia. And she's trying everything to get there.
Where do phobias come from? Can they be understood? Overcome? Claire's desperate and will follow up any promises to give her the answer, no matter how dodgy their claims might sound. Pete isn't impressed and he's wondering where it's all going to end, and what it all means for his life.
It can be an easy subject to laugh at - and this play is often extremely funny, watching Claire's irrational behaviour and Pete's increasing frustration - but nevertheless does try to give the subject a more serious exploration too. There's no pretence of knowing the answers, but this is an interesting portrait of just how difficult a severe phobia makes life, not just for the sufferer but for those around them too (the twins might be away now, but their still not immune from Claire's anxieties).
Two excellent performances from Angela Darcy and David McGowan, milking the laughs from the script, but also bringing out the pain and intractability of the problem, and their relationship is both disheartening and touching. It's always good to see mental health issues getting a treatment which helps develop greater understanding, and for such a short drama From The Air does a brilliant job of doing just that.
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