COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — A retired Southwest Airlines training aircraft has found new life at Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service's Disaster City, where it will help prepare emergency responders for real-world scenarios.
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The aircraft prop, nicknamed "The Spirit of Poolie" after a long-term in-flight Southwest Airlines employee, arrived at the College Station training facility in September after 30 years of service with the airline.
“It had the ability to tilt and simulate different aircraft landings, and then inside the cabin, we could actually deploy oxygen masks, you know, open and deploy slides on the exits and then fill the cabin up with smoke and simulated fire as well," said Michael Patlan, in-flight learning manager at Southwest Airlines.
15 ABC asked Matt Young, a rescue instructor at Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service's Disaster City, how exciting it is to add this training tool to the many training props they have on at the training site.
"Well, it's a unique opportunity. We don't have any sort of aircraft props that allow us to actually have to move up to it. We do have aircrafts that are on the field but they're all on the ground and so this is gonna give us an opportunity to kind of change the training associated with those aircrafts," Young said.
The team plans to position the aircraft in a wooded area on support columns, creating elevated rescue scenarios for emergency responders, like firefighters and rescue personnel.
"That allows us to do access work to be able to rope up and try and actually get to an elevated structure that doesn't already have a pre-established rope system or ropes that can just easily be secured to an anchor," Young said.
Young tells 15 ABC that the prop could also serve multiple training purposes beyond firefighter and rescue personnel preparation.
“We've got ideas for other disciplines as well, so our EMS partners, they can use this for a mass casualty event or mass casualty training as well as law enforcement can use it for simulated hostage or terrorist attacks and things like that," Young said.
In a city with much to offer, the latest addition is taking training to new heights.
"It brings it closer to what they're gonna actually see real world, so it's gonna shorten that learning curve for them and hopefully allow them to respond faster and more effectively," Young said.
The installation process involves several steps to position the aircraft in the tree area. Officials hope to have it operational by spring 2026.
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