Boy Wins VIP Tour Spotting Airline Manual Detail

Quick Smiles:

• 5-year-old aviation fan impresses Southwest Airlines with sharp eye.
• Earns unforgettable family trip to headquarters and simulator fun.
• Inspires dreams of piloting for 140 passengers someday.

A young Colorado boy named William Hines, passionate about planes since infancy, spotted a perceived discrepancy in a Southwest Airlines training manual.

His mom Amber shared the story online, catching the eye of CEO Bob Jordan, who invited them for a VIP tour of the Dallas training facility.

William met pilots like Chris and Earl, explored a flight simulator, and created lasting memories despite the manual detail not being an actual error.

“I love flying,” William said. “[Airplanes] get you from place to place a lot faster than a car does. I don’t have to walk 7,000 miles.”

“He’d be doing tummy time and watching the wheels roll and knowing how the axles work and pulling his cars apart,” Amber said. “He’s very mechanically inclined, so I suppose it was a natural progression to want to know about more fascinating things.”

Meeting pilot Josh ignited his aviation passion further during airport visits.

“I discovered that two terrain monitors did not match. They did not match at all,” William explained.

“What 5-year-old knows that? Newly minted 5-year-old,” his mom laughed. “But I also know that he’s a details guy, and he notices things. He listens to everything, and he really absorbs information.”

Embracing big aspirations, William eagerly shared his pilot dreams to transport many others.

“Yeah,” he affirmed. “Then, I can transport people to a place and not just myself, like 140 people to a place.”

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