Legendary Pilot, Aviation Advocate and Author Tammie Jo Shults to Speak at NBAA-BACE 2022
/Tammie Jo Shults, who heroically landed Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 after an inflight engine failure crippled a Boeing 737, will be a keynote speaker on day two at the 2022 National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Orlando, FL.
Taking place Oct. 18-20 at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center and nearby Orlando Executive Airport (ORL), NBAA-BACE will set a new standard in highlighting the inspiring people, bold ideas, new markets and emerging technologies transforming business aviation. The show will bring together thought leaders in safety, security, sustainability, innovation and workforce development.
On April 17, 2018, as captain of Flight 1380 en route to Dallas Love Field (DAL) from New York LaGuardia (LGA), Shults successfully landed at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) after an uncontained engine failure damaged the aircraft’s fuselage and caused rapid decompression of the cabin. Shults’s actions that day — which are detailed in her best-selling book, Nerves of Steel — saved the lives of 148 passengers and crew.
Since that fateful day, Shults has been an effective advocate for the aviation industry, having served on the Department of Transportation’s Women in Aviation Advisory Board, and currently serving on the Pearl Harbor Aviation Board and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation Board. She has received numerous awards — including the Wings Club of New York’s Outstanding Aviator Award for 2022 — and has been inducted into the International Aviation Hall of Fame.
“Tammie Jo Shults has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the air and on the ground,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We are thrilled to have her with us to share her incredible story and unique perspectives at the convention this year.”
Shults has been a role model and pioneer her entire career. Despite many obstacles, she persevered to become one of the first female F/A-18 Hornet pilots in the United States Navy. Although women at the time were not allowed in combat roles, Shults excelled as a military pilot, serving as an aggressor pilot simulating bogey’s/bandits against our fleet – from Top Gun students to destroyers or entire carrier groups working up for cruise.
After concluding her Navy career, Shults operated aerial firefighting aircraft before joining Boeing 737 operator Southwest as a commercial pilot.
Since retiring from Southwest in 2020, Shults has remained active as a volunteer pilot and board member of the nonprofit organization Angel Flight South Central, which provides free, non-emergency air travel for children and adults with serious medical conditions and other compelling needs. Shults is also an active speaker, providing inspiration and insights into overcoming adversity to audiences across the nation.