5-year-old Colorado boy given prize of a lifetime after spotting mistake in Southwest Airlines manual
A five-year-old boy from Colorado has been given the prize of a lifetime after he noticed a mistake on Southwest Airlines.
William Hines first found an interest in aircraft during visits to his local airport where he would watch planes taking off and landing.
Afterwards, he expressed such a love for aviation that his mother, Amber, got in touch with someone she knew whose spouse was a pilot.
This led to William meeting a Southwest pilot who spent two hours teaching about the basics of aviation before leaving him with a training manual for the company.
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However, William noticed a small detail on the manual when looking at the cockpit layouts.
Speaking to 9 News, William explained: “I discovered that two terrain monitors did not match. They did not match at all.”
The five-year-old went on to say that ‘one side’s farther and one side’s closer’.
Amber went on to explain: “One was very, very zoomed out while the other one was zoomed in. He was able to identify the fact that these should look the same, but they looked different because one was drastically zoomed out from the other one.”
Since then, William’s story has caught the attention of none other than Bob Jordan, the CEO of Southwest, who invited the family over to Dallas, Texas, where they went on a VIP tour of the firm’s training facility.
Amber continued: “It was amazing. Everyone there was very, very welcoming, and we definitely had the tour of a lifetime.”
Many people have taken to social media to share their own reactions to the sweet story, with one user writing on the YouTube comment section: “So heartening to learn that the ‘adults’ didn't brush this off but corrected the error AND gave him the credit he deserved. William, you are terrific.”
Another said: “This is why you always support your child's special interests! The confidence boost this has probably all had on that little boy is amazing, and will no doubt encourage him to continue to follow his dreams and passions.”
And a third person commented: “I think the best gift this kid has isn't necessarily his smarts, but a family who supports his interests and passions, and doesn't dismiss him just because he's young. I think they'd be just as supportive of him, whatever he liked, and that goes a long way to making sure he becomes a confident person.”