04/19/2018
Salute!
When one of Southwest Flight 1380's engines exploded on Tuesday, shattering a passenger window and spraying shrapnel into the cabin, it was Captain Tammie Jo Shults' years of experience in the cockpit that allowed her to guide the plane safely to an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport. It wasn't the first time the veteran pilot has had to stay calm and collected under pressure: Shults is a former Navy pilot who entered flight school in 1985 and later became one of the first female pilots to fly tactical aircraft. And even as we mourn the death of Jennifer Riordan of Albuquerque, a passenger killed after the engine explosion, it's clear that Shults' skill in the cockpit saved the lives of the other 148 people on board. "She has nerves of steel," asserted passenger Alfred Tumlinson. "That lady, I applaud her... She was awesome."
Even today, women make up only 6% of commercial airline pilots, but when Shults developed an interest in flying that number was even lower. She recalls attending a lecture on aviation as a high school senior in 1979, only for the retired colonel conducting it to ask her "if I was lost... I mustered up the courage to assure him I was not and that I was interested in flying. He allowed me to stay but assured me there were no professional women pilots." When she set her sights on becoming a military pilot in 1983, the Air Force wouldn't take her; she took the Navy aviation exam and, finally, a year later, found a recruiter who would process her application. For ten years, she broke new ground for women in military aviation, including becoming one of the first women to fly the F/A-18 Hornet. She left military service in 1994 with the rank of lieutenant-commander, and later became a pilot for Southwest.
When the crisis struck Flight 1380, Shults maneuvered the plane, which had been on its way from New York to Dallas, for an emergency landing, telling air traffic control: "Southwest 1380, we’re single engine. We have part of the aircraft missing, so we’re going to need to slow down a bit." As terrified passengers braced for impact, she steered the Boeing 737 through a rapid descent to a smooth landing, and then came out of the flight deck to check on the passengers and crew. "This is a true American hero," passenger Diana McBride Self wrote later on Facebook. "A huge thank you for her knowledge, guidance and bravery in a traumatic situation."
To read more about Captain Shults' groundbreaking career in The Washington Post, visit https://wapo.st/2HbLW0V
For an excellent introduction to 26 trailblazing female pilots, we recommend "Women Aviators: 26 Stories of Pioneer Flights, Daring Missions, and Record-Setting Journeys," for teen and adult readers, 12 and up, at https://www.amightygirl.com/women-aviators
To inspire children and teens with stories about more real-life women whose heroism saved lives, we highly recommend "Sybil's Night Ride" for ages 4 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/sybil-s-night-ride), "Jars of Hope" for ages 7 to 11 (https://www.amightygirl.com/jars-of-hope), "The Underground Abductor" for ages 9 to 13 (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-underground-abductor), and "Women Heroes of World War II" for ages 12 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/women-heroes-of-world-war-ii)
For two picture books to encourage your Mighty Girls' dreams of flying, both for ages 4 to 8, we recommend "Zephyr Takes Flight" (https://www.amightygirl.com/zephyr-takes-flight) and "Rosie Revere, Engineer" (https://www.amightygirl.com/rosie-revere-engineer)
And, for Mighty Girl books celebrating courageous girls and women, check out our "Courage & Bravery" book section at https://www.amightygirl.com/books/personal-development/values?cat=218
