Why a pilot’s nightmare should be a bedtime story for girls When I heard the story of Sout
Why a pilot’s nightmare should be a bedtime story for girls When I heard the story of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380’s emergency landing, I suddenly remembered the moment of eerie silence when an engine-fire indicator lit up in my jet’s cockpit. The small, amber light glowed amid a panel of dark buttons, knobs and switches — and I froze.A second later, after catching the movement of the instructor pilot to my left, I swiftly snapped the air mask on my helmet over my nose and mouth, tightened the harness holding me into my ejection seat and keyed the radio to begin procedures for an emergency landing. Once safely on the ground, the engine’s melted fuel lines confirmed it was about 10 seconds from exploding midair. I also recalled the moment, at the start of my military career, when a more senior officer questioned my ability to succeed at flight school — because I was a woman. I still regret not more adamantly defending a girl’s place in the cockpit but take quiet pride in my whispered response: “I think I’ll be fine.” In short, I know how significant it is that the hero of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380, Capt. Tammie Jo Shults, is a woman. And why this pilot’s nightmare needs to be a bedtime story for young girls everywhere. Continue reading this story at pri.org. -- source link
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