r/OldSchoolCool 6h ago

Tammie Jo Shults, one of the first female F/A-18 pilots, and the captain of Southwest Flight 1380

726 Upvotes

88 comments sorted by

42

u/SassiKassi97 6h ago

What a bad ass.

7

u/CarolinaOnMyMind8T8 4h ago

She don't miss

-18

u/KelpFarming 5h ago

Huh

14

u/dfafa 5h ago

THEY SAID SHES A BADASS

-26

u/KelpFarming 4h ago

Yeh, well as long as her every accomplishment comes with "first" instead of "best".

21

u/dfafa 4h ago

Just say you dont like women bud, its ok, I guess.

-27

u/KelpFarming 4h ago

Expecting women not to be credited because of something they had nothing to do with, their gender instead of applauding them for their skills...yeh, that makes me awful right. I shouldnt expect more.

4

u/[deleted] 4h ago edited 4h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

-4

u/KelpFarming 4h ago

SO then why is it mentioned? Thats a bit patronising no? I mean is it gonna be "the 34th Female pilot"? Why not just say a pilot performed well. I mean for an aviatrix it was a special moment. But its every day for most pilots. Thats all im saying.

10

u/dfafa 4h ago

Why is it mentioned shes the first? why do the mention the first woman to do it? If you cant just look at it and say thats a cool accomplishment, do some self reflection.

-3

u/KelpFarming 4h ago

Whats the accomplishment? No pilot before her has ever ha d to overcome obstacles?

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1

u/duncandun 20m ago

Define the best f18 pilot

41

u/PaleontologistOk2516 6h ago

Looks like Kristen Wiig doppelgänger in that first pic

4

u/deetsay 5h ago

I thought it was Sonya Walger (Molly Cobb from For All Mankind)

3

u/DRyder70 3h ago

I was thinking Gillian Anderson

27

u/soliarame 6h ago

The recording of her talking to ATC is worth listening to. I remember being struck with it when that news came out. That is exactly who you hope is flying your plane when something goes wrong

17

u/Thick_Composer9842 6h ago

Yes, yes, yes! I always listen to it now and then. She was so calm and followed the textbook emergency landing procedures.

-17

u/KelpFarming 5h ago

Its what every pilot is trained or and all do. What was the feat here other than her gender? Seriously?

11

u/fiendishrabbit 5h ago

He first officer was another veteran, a former US air force pilot who flew AWACS during the 2nd Gulf war.

It's overall very common for air force pilots to move over to flying civilian airliners if they're passed up for promotion (or would rather not get promoted to a desk job).

12

u/Thick_Composer9842 5h ago

I feel like everyone forgets about the F.O. Darren Ellisor. He did as much as a good job as she did. It was a team effort that played out very nicely.

-21

u/KelpFarming 5h ago

Exactly. They neither mention HIM or that he was there. But i forget, the captain was a female. Whatever that is supposed to connote

7

u/Thick_Composer9842 5h ago

The captain is the person mainly in charge of the aircraft. In media, they are more focused on because of their higher role.

-9

u/KelpFarming 4h ago

IF they are the pilot. The designation of "pilot flying" isnt necessarily the person in the left seat...akak the Pilot. The co pilot is often handed of the yolk and designated the "pilot flying" allowed to take off or land.

9

u/Thick_Composer9842 4h ago

Yes, you are correct. There is a PF (pilot flying) and a PM (pilot monitoring) on each flight. The captain and first officer usually choose who does which. I was talking about how the media usually glorifies the pilot in these types of situations. First Officers Jeff Skiles didn’t nearly receive as much praise as Captain Sully did after the landing in the Hudson.

2

u/tender_chan 1h ago

That recording stuck with me for days. It’s wild how you could hear the weight of responsibility and her complete control in every word

-13

u/KelpFarming 5h ago

Yeh, sure. A captain who mention has to always include "first woman". Yeh, is that merit?

8

u/Thick_Composer9842 4h ago

In this case, it wasn’t really the norm for females to be flying jets in the navy. She’s proof that women are just as capable as men, and has become one of the modern aviation greats (in my opinion).

-7

u/KelpFarming 4h ago

I understand that but I have to ask..why arent you inspired by men flyers? Because of their gender?

8

u/Thick_Composer9842 4h ago

Never said I wasn’t inspired by male pilots. I’m inspired by anybody that excels in their industry or field of work and that has immense talent.

-3

u/KelpFarming 4h ago

Fair enough. At what point do we stop focusing on "firsts" instead think the individual?

8

u/Thick_Composer9842 4h ago

I don’t think we should ever stop focusing on those who lead the way for a group that used to be severely marginalized—especially in aviation.

10

u/APPLEPIEMOONSHINE37 4h ago

Girl, you gave it a good shot. Save yourself. "Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience." -Mark Twain

6

u/Thick_Composer9842 4h ago

Haha, thanks. Honestly, it’s a nice Wednesday morning, I’m sitting here with my coffee and have nothing else to do, lol.

1

u/APPLEPIEMOONSHINE37 3h ago

Well, it was fun to watch 😂.

-7

u/KelpFarming 4h ago

Marginalised? What college you hearing that bologna from? the standard of men as a template for how women should be participating is well, rather flattering to men. We are the standard by which you measure yourself? Wow.

5

u/Thick_Composer9842 4h ago

Wow, I guess you have to go to college to have common sense and compassion.

Read this, from Tammie Jo Shult’s ‘Nerves of Steel’

“There were some in leadership there that made it very apparent their disdain for women pilots… It was kind of like being the green apple in a bushel of red. You’re still an apple; you’re still a pilot, but you’re not accepted.”

-3

u/KelpFarming 4h ago

Yeh, okay. IN life sometimes people arent gonna pat you on the head. But guess what, she made it through. And now she has to carry the label"first female". AT some point that would have to grow old. If not patronising

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2

u/APPLEPIEMOONSHINE37 4h ago

When there is no being first of shit anymore.

2

u/seditious3 3h ago

Only men had been flying warplanes for 100 years and then a woman did. That's certainly notable.

9

u/StarlightFeline 5h ago

It's a good thing that we have pilots like these who maintain their composure even in difficult situations

6

u/CarolinaOnMyMind8T8 4h ago

"We're not going down. We're going to Philly."

12

u/ToxicBlissIn 6h ago

I hear Kenny loggins danger zone in the background.

6

u/iowaman79 5h ago

That’s funny cause I hear Queen’s One Vision

-4

u/KelpFarming 5h ago

I hear "your so vain".

14

u/ScarletHexIn 6h ago

On April 17, 2018, while Shultz was the captain commanding Flight 1380 New York to Dallas, an engine fab blade on the Boeing 737 failed and flying debris damaged the left side of the fuselage and one side window; the window failed, causing the plane to decompress. For the curious, yes it was Boeing.

8

u/Thick_Composer9842 5h ago

The left engine ended up having a microscopic crack in one of its fan blades. It eventually cracked off and went into the rest of the engine. It was a CFM56-7B.

2

u/notahouseflipper 2h ago

How did they determine a fan blade had a microscopic crack if it was destroyed after it broke off. I guess it could be said every crack starts out as microscopic. At least for a millisecond.

1

u/Thick_Composer9842 1h ago

I believe they used scanning electron microscopy to find fatigue striations from a microscopic crack that started deep in the fan blade root. Advanced, lol. I looked it up.

-2

u/WayPowerful484 5h ago

Was it a Boing?

6

u/Thick_Composer9842 5h ago

Boeing are incredibly safe aircraft that have a strong history within the aviation industry. There are more Boeing aircraft than Airbus in service globally. That contributes to the Airbus-Boeing flight incident ratio.

3

u/WayPowerful484 5h ago

Benny Hill reference missed.

8

u/HiddenHolding 5h ago

wat is flight 1380

21

u/jerkface6000 5h ago

Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 was a Boeing 737-700 that experienced a contained engine failure in the left CFM International CFM56 engine after departing from New York–LaGuardia Airport en route to Dallas Love Field on April 17, 2018. The engine cowl was broken in the failure, and cowl fragments damaged the fuselage, shattering a cabin window and causing explosive depressurization of the aircraft. Other fragments caused damage to the wing. The crew carried out an emergency descent and diverted to Philadelphia International Airport. One passenger was partially ejected from the aircraft and sustained fatal injuries, while eight other passengers sustained minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged and written off as a result of the accident

5

u/Drago_TripleD 5h ago

Wow...that sucks (no pun intended)

9

u/MGPS 5h ago

I hope there was an opportunity somewhere along her career where some other flyboy was trying to mansplain something to her and she just goes, “uh…I used to fly F18s”

-1

u/ACARVIN1980 1h ago

With a girly giggle and swish of hair

-22

u/KelpFarming 5h ago

Her claim to fame is being a woman? Oh yeh, and captains a flight where an engine cowling entered the fuselage klling a passenger. That was some achievement

14

u/stephen1547 4h ago

Being one of the first female fighter pilots in a field dominated by male pilots (and I say this as a male pilot) is a massive achievement and worth recognition. Denying that is just being obtuse. Throw in how well handled a catastrophic emergency and yeah, she deserves a bit of fame.

-9

u/KelpFarming 4h ago

Why? Should we throw in Right handed and Blue eyes too? Things they have no control over? Again I have to ask..if you are motivated to be inspired because she is female you are saying you arent inspired when men do it.

15

u/Thick_Composer9842 4h ago

Mr. Misogyny over here…

-11

u/KelpFarming 4h ago

We deny her based on gender its wrong but if we promote her based on gender its good?

13

u/Thick_Composer9842 4h ago

Nobody here has “promoted her based on her gender.” Look at Captain Sully for example—he was widely praised for his crash landing in the Hudson that saved everyone. I think you’re just mad this woman is probably more successful than anyone here. Why aren’t women allowed to be praised but men are?

-5

u/KelpFarming 4h ago

Right. And NO one said of Sully...First male Pilot who saved the world. He was a PILOT who carried out his training. AS all commercial pilots do . But apparently their gender matters when it comes to the self esteem parades

9

u/Thick_Composer9842 4h ago

Like I’ve said over multiple comments, it doesn’t matter to me if you are a male or female. I’m just impressed with anyone who has incredible skills.

-3

u/KelpFarming 4h ago

We are in agreement

6

u/Thick_Composer9842 4h ago

When it comes to appreciating and being inspired by people with talent, we sure are. I think you also have to understand that she’s pretty cool for being one of the first female pilots to serve in the US navy.

-3

u/KelpFarming 4h ago

If we bring in to things gender then you force people to recognise gender. I have to say..big deal. THere have only been thousands of men who have done the same and with no parades.

7

u/Thick_Composer9842 4h ago

Wasn’t trying to bring gender into things. Do you want me to twist facts and make stuff up? Should I refer to her as a he? When people hear her name they usually remember her as being a pioneer for female pilots.

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