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about the passenger, with f light crew pleading for them to slow down so they could pull her back inside the cabin.
“As we got down lower, we were more of a glider than we knew. But when we added power, it was pushing us severely left to the point where I had less and less rudder authority. So, we had to pull our power back further. I didn’t want to change the wing too much because of the damage, so I opted for flaps 5, which is minimal drag and optimal lift,” Tammie Jo said. She added that they were still 10,000 pounds overweight and didn’t have time to pull out the single-engine before landing checklist but knew instinctually the tasks that needed to be done.
“Some advice I’d give to fellow pilots would be when you are practicing emergency procedures, take the time to think about why that switch is being switched. Why is it on the memory items? What’s the reason behind it?” she said. “Also, dedicate yourself to regularly practice those emergency procedures on the ground, in the sim or in the air. Habits on good days become instinct on bad days. Instincts take no time and gives you bandwidth to move on to something else that requires a little more creativity to solve.”
She credits her time in the Navy for giving her the calm demeanor that was captured with her radio calls. “At first we were trying to figure out if the plane was holding together. Then I realized, hey, we’re still flying so that’s a good thing,” she said. “It was a calm heart that produced a calm voice. You stop worrying about the ‘what if,’ and focus on the ‘what is’ and deal with it.”
In addition to her military background and training, she credits something not found on any checklist. “We act on what we believe. I did believe that if this was my final hour, I’d make it my best and just pay attention to what I had to do.”
Why was she compelled to write a book? She answered that it was a book that inspired her to start our aviation journey and she hopes that her story, which began decades before Flight 1380, will inspire others.
“Dreams are wonderful, but they’re only the starting pistol. It’s the race ahead, the work that you put in, sometimes years of work and with no promise of success, that puts you in place prepared and ready.”
Tammie Jo Shults’ new book “Nerves of Steel: How I Followed My Dreams, Earned My Wings, and Faced My Greatest Challenge” is now widely available from Harper Collins. She has also released an adaptation to the book for young read- ers ages 8 to 12.
Dianne White is the executive director of MMOPA and editor of MMOPA Magazine. For a total of 14 years, she was editor of Twin & Turbine and has worked in the business aviation industry for nearly 30 years. She also serves on the board of directors for Angel Flight Central. An active multi-engine, instrument-rated pilot, Dianne lives in the Kansas City area and can be reached at editor@diannewhite.com.
Ocean Reef Club
February 2020 / TWIN & TURBINE • 7