Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.
Or, in this case, worth a lifetime love of flying and a father-son bond like few others.
Ruben Flowers III was training to become a pilot. And one day, a few months ago, he was looking at photo albums at his grandmother’s house. Then he saw it. A photo of Ruben was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat of a plane. Beside him was his father, pilot Ruben Flowers Jr.
“I wanted to be in that seat,” Ruben said of himself as a toddler.
Ruben said he would often go with his dad on trips to the airport, and would visit the training center as a young boy. He would even get to try out the plane simulators. He said he loved when Rubens Jr. would come to his school and talk about his job on careers day.
Ruben Flowers Jr. and Ruben Flowers III on a Southwest plane in 2023. Photo courtesy Southwest Airlines
He knew by the age of 17 that he would follow in his dad’s footsteps, because Ruben said his dad always seemed happy when he went to work.
I love flying, it’s the best office view in the world,” Flowers Jr. said.
But now, Ruben’s father was readying for his final flight while his son was preparing for his first. And Ruben knew he had to do one final thing for his father – recreate that first photo of the pair of them in the cockpit.
“It was a dream of mine to make it to this point to fly with my dad, it was probably my number one aviation goal,” Ruben said.
There was only one worry. “It was coming down to the last moments,” Ruben said. “We didn’t know if I was going to make it [through training] in time.”
But he did. And for his second official flight as a pilot for Southwest, he was able to join his father’s final flight as the co-pilot. The trip would take the men from Omaha, Neb., to Chicago, Ill.
On the morning of the flight, they went out for a big breakfast to celebrate.
“It was just great, great to be able to do that,” Ruben said. “It was surreal to look over there and see him.”
But the pair weren’t alone this time. Flowers Jr.’s brother is also a captain for Southwest, along with his cousin who is in training to be a captain. Ruben’s brother and sister are also training to become airline pilots.
Ruben Flowers Jr. and Ruben Flowers III pose outside their plane. Photo courtesy of Southwest Airlines
Flowers Jr. was able to spend his final flight with not only his son, but his brother and cousin along for the ride.
“There are seven of us,” he said. “Me. My brother’s a pilot. I have three kids, all pilots. And my brother’s son is a pilot and my cousin is a pilot. And it’s just amazing to me that they all wanted to be pilots.”
For Ruben, it fulfilled the goal he had made for himself.
It was a dream of mine to make this happen,” Ruben said.
And the father and son recreated that photo of them, this time with Ruben as his actual co-pilot.
Once the father-son duo landed in Chicago, Flowers Jr. went to a retirement party, while Ruben went on to pilot another flight.
The chance to fly together one final time made the now retired Flowers Jr. thrilled.
“I really enjoyed flying with my son,” he said. “It was truly a blessing for me. It was just awesome. To look over there and see my son, next to me, for my last landing.”
Ruben said that other pilots often tell him how much they learned from his father. “It motivates me to be a better person and a better pilot each day,” Flowers Jr added.
For a look at this amazing father-son duo, watch below.
