Tammie Jo Shults when she was one of the first Female Navy Pilots and at present as a Southwest Pilot *AP

Capt. Tammie Jo Shults *AP

Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl have one thing in common: they are all fictional. Tammie Jo Shults is the real deal. 

Everyone should know by now that Shults successfully landed Southwest Flight 1380 after one of the engines exploded.

One of the passengers, Jennifer Riordan got sucked halfway out of a broken window suffering fatal injuries. We have to praise some of the passengers and flight attendants who were able to pull her back inside the airplane but it was too late.

Riordan was a community leader and worked for Wells Fargo in the community affairs department. She and her family were well respected in the community.

When we were reading about Captain Shults it was interesting to find out she broke many glass ceilings. She was determined to be a fighter pilot in the Air Force, but they rejected her. She stated, that the Navy was more open, but it still took them a while to approve her application. After they accepted her, there was no turning back. She proved she was just as capable as any of the male pilots.

She met her future husband who was a Navy pilot at the time. They’re both commercial pilots for Southwest Airlines.

Many people may recall “The Miracle on the Hudson” where Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger managed to land US Airways Flight 1549 safely onto the Hudson River in Manhattan in 2009 after both engines became disabled after hitting a flock of geese while flying over New York. He saved all 155 people on board. A movie was made of the incident staring Tom Hanks.

Reading about the career and adversity that Captain Tammie Jo Shults had to overcome would make a great movie for all to see.

Listen to the audio of Shults as she calmly spoke to the control tower and assessed the situation without batting an eyebrow.

The manner in which she spoked helped to ease the anxiety of the passengers to keep them as calm as possible in a dire situation. Many spoke her praises on social media.

We wouldn’t be surprised if Shults becomes in high demand to speak at school assemblies and colleges.

Shults wrote a passage in the book Military Fly Moms: Sharing Memories, Building Legacies, Inspiring Hope by Linda Maloney. The book highlights 70 women who were both military pilots and a mother.

Engine that exploded on Southwest Flight 1380 *AP

Shults is a devout Christian. After the plane landed, she personally went and spoke to every passenger, even though her heart was heavy with the loss of one. She tweeted in a post: “God is good.”

As in Captain Sully’s case, if a movie is made about Shults, we think it is a good thing. It always good to have positive role models, especially for young girls in this day in age. 

It’s such a refreshing change of a role model instead of some of these women who have been featured on the news lately with their sordid details of nonsense.  Some of these news channels used to interview women of distinction, such as world leaders, established professionals, etc. How far they’ve fallen. 

We realize that every person can’t be top of their field, but there is a lesson that you can learn from someone who is the top in their field. That person can be an example or say something that may you be successful at whatever you do.

Kudos to Captain Tammie Jo Shults! She is inspiration to us all. We can’t say enough about the actions of all involved in this unfortunate incident. The way the passengers acted, the crew and copilot who all faced an unexpected dangerous situation is something extraordinary.

It’s one thing when you have disaster drills, but when you are faced in an unexpected dangerous situation, you never know how you will react. Everyone involved here acted with bravery and honor, and some without thinking about their own safety. C.M. & K.M.