NERVES OF STEEL
Like me, when hearing stories that involve amazing feats of incredible strength, character and composure, you probably ask yourself, “How were they able to DO that?!” and, “Would I have been able to do it?”
And, like me, you’ve probably heard the story of Southwest Airlines Flight #1380, when on April 17, 2018, a Boeing 737 experienced catastrophic engine failure causing an explosion that severed hydraulic and fuel lines, tore away sections of the plane, punctured a window, and took a woman’s life…
Were those your questions about Captain Tammie Jo Shults, and her first officer, Darren Ellisor, who were able to somehow stabilize the aircraft and safely land, saving 148 people aboard? They were certainly a few of mine!
Nerves of Steel, my December pick for the Delilah’s Book Club is going to provide the answers and so much more!
This is Tammie Jo’s story; the daughter of a humble rancher who became one of the Navy’s first female F/A-18 Hornet fighter pilots. The book will tell you how she became a flight instructor, and after leaving the Navy, a commercial airline pilot, and how she developed the skill set, along with the thick skin and the self assurance needed to persevere through the many obstacles and set-backs she faced before that fateful April day.
When you’ve had THOSE questions answered, you’ll know just what kind of person, and what kind of pilot she is, and you’ll have a much better idea of the internal power she was able to draw from to get that plane under control and back on the ground without any additional lives lost
At no point in her life or her career was Tammie Jo promised success. In fact, she faced opposition at every turn. But she only allowed that to fuel her desire to succeed. And so, 20 minutes into a routine domestic flight (that she wasn’t even originally scheduled be on, ) when everything went terribly terribly wrong, Tammi Jo Shults was the very thing necessary to set all to rights.
