From a Garage Simulator to Southwest’s Simulators, Kevin’s Passion Takes Flight

[ashleybain]

When Kevin reached out to share that he built a Southwest-themed flight simulator in his garage, we knew we had to see it!

Kevin fell in love with flying at the early age of eight after his first flight from Rochester, New York, to New York City. Despite his appreciation of aviation, Kevin could not become a Pilot due to his vision. Kevin didn’t let this setback deter him from his passion; instead, he adjusted his flight plan to fly from his home!

It all started 20 years ago with a joystick and a computer screen acting as a flight simulator, and from there, his setup expanded. Kevin soon had to move everything into his garage as his gadgets and displays grew. In his new space, Kevin began assembling his very own flight sim. In 2020, Kevin felt it was time to show his sim some LUV and headed down to the print shop to add the Southwest colors and logo to the exterior of his sim.

Back in December, Kevin invited the Southwest Team to his house to check out his simulator and tell us a bit about its history. After taking off in his simulator from Love Field, he showed us the routes he flies around the DFW metroplex, pointing out many Dallas landmarks. After wrapping up at Kevin’s home, the Southwest Team invited him to the state-of-the-art simulator bay at “our home.”

After meeting with the flight instructor, Kevin flew a route in and out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. He then tried his hand around the Dallas area, a route he often flies in his simulator. Kevin completed the route with ease, a natural pro in the sim.

Thank you for spending the day with the Southwest Team, Kevin. We loved seeing your sim, and we hope you enjoyed your time in ours!

Check out more of our adventures at community.southwest.com