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As we learn more about Tuesday's deadly explosion on a Southwest plane that killed one person and injured several others, we're also learning more about the heroes in the story, particularly the pilot who managed to land the plane despite the blown-out engine.
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The pilot has been identified as Captain Tammie Jo Shults, who, it turns out, was a certifiable badass before she guided her Southwest 737 plane to an emergency landing in Philadelphia. The flight was en route from New York City to Dallas when the explosion happened, sending shrapnel into the side of the plane and shattering one of the windows.。

View this post on Instagram。

View this post on Instagram 。 One of Shults' college classmates told the。Kansas City Star 。

how Shults, after being denied a chance to be a pilot with the Air Force, enlisted in the Navy where she became one of the first female fighter pilots as well as one of the first women to fly the F/A-18 Hornet.。

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With this kind of background, it's no wonder she showed what one of the Southwest passengers called "nerves of steel" in being able to land the plane safely despite the heavy damage and an exploded engine.。 The landing, per。The landing, per 。

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Beyond that, the context of the 737's situation upon the emergency landing forced Shults into some quick thinking that relied on her previous experience. From the 。

Beast。

Beast 。

:。 Normally a 737 on final approach would deploy its wing flaps to their full extent, to reduce landing speed to around 140 mph. But Captain Shults’ skills and experience forewarned her that an airplane flying that slowly with its flaps fully extended and with asymmetrical power could become fatally unstable in the final stage of the landing, so she used a minimal flap setting to maintain a higher speed and stability—taking the risk that the landing gear and particularly the tires could survive a higher speed impact.。And if you need even more evidence of Shults' superhuman, almost unfathomable ability to stay calm under terrifying circumstances, just revisit the audio of her communications with air traffic control.。

Passengers proclaimed Shults "an American Hero" and that, after the landing, Shults went through the plane, meeting and checking in on the other passengers.。

Jalopnik also dug up a 1993 issue of Navy magazine 。

Jalopnik also dug up a 1993 issue of Navy magazine
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All Hands。

which includes a blurb about Shults speaking on women fighter pilots and the "scrutiny" they faced: "It would be nice if they would take away the ceilings [women] have over our heads."
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She continued, speaking about her role in the Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (VAQ) 34, "In VAQ-34, gender doesn't matter, there's no advantage or disadvantage. Which proves my point -- if there's a good mix of gender, it ceases to be an issue." 。

Now, 25 years later, Shults is a hero and being hailed as such across social media.。

Now, 25 years later, Shults is a hero and being hailed as such across social media.
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