A 5-year-old aviation enthusiast from Colorado was invited to tour Southwest Airlines’ headquarters in Dallas after identifying a discrepancy in company training materials. William Hines, a pre-kindergarten student, developed an early interest in aircraft and mechanical systems, his mother told Denver’s 9News. During a visit with a Southwest pilot who provided him with training materials, William examined graphics of cockpit displays and noticed differences between two terrain-monitor depictions.
“I discovered that two terrain monitors did not match. They did not match at all,” William told the news channel.
His mother, Amber Hines, said a contact who worked for Southwest forwarded the information to airline leadership. Although the airline later clarified that the difference William identified reflected inconsistent display perspectives rather than a true error, Southwest’s CEO, Bob Jordan, invited William and his family to visit its Dallas headquarters, where he toured facilities and “flew” in a flight simulator.
“We went down to headquarters. It was amazing,” Amber Hines told 9News. “Everyone there was very, very welcoming. And we definitely had the tour of a lifetime.”
William said the experience included time with simulator staff and discussions about aviation, and he expressed interest in becoming a pilot in the future.
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