Literary Aviatrix: The Power of Story - Women in Aviation
Join Liz Booker as she interviews authors whose books feature women in aviation from across genres, historical periods, and types of flying, and be inspired by the tenacity, adventure, and courage of our sisters in the air.
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Liz not only promotes books featuring women in aviation, but also provides the tools and information for other women to tell their stories. Check out Writers' Room interviews for in-depth discussions on writing, publishing, and book promotion.
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Liz is a retired Coast Guard helicopter pilot and writer, and host of the Aviatrix Book Club, Aviatrix Writers' Group, and Literary Aviatrix website where you'll find hundreds of books featuring women in aviation for all ages.
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Sign up for the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter to stay up to date on book news and book discussions and follow her on social media @LiteraryAviatrix.
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Literary Aviatrix: The Power of Story - Women in Aviation
Captain Tammie Jo Shults — Southwest Airlines Pilot of Flight 1380, Navy Jet Pioneer, and Author of Nerves of Steel
In this episode, I sit down with Captain Tammie Jo Shults — one of the first women to fly Navy tactical jets, longtime Southwest Airlines captain, and author of Nerves of Steel.
Tammie Jo is best known for her extraordinary leadership on Southwest Flight 1380, but as she shares in this conversation, her story is about much more than one day in the cockpit. It’s about the obstacles she faced along the way, the resilience she built, and the way her faith, perseverance, and preparation equipped her for the moment the world was watching.
We talk about:
- 🚫 Being told “girls can’t fly” — and proving them wrong
- ✈️ Breaking barriers in Navy aviation in the 1980s
- 💪 Facing cultural and institutional challenges in both military and airline cockpits
- 📝 Why journaling matters and how it shaped her memoir, Nerves of Steel
- 🧭 How true stories and past experiences shaped her decision-making on Flight 1380
- ❤️ The role of faith, family, and community in sustaining her through adversity
This is a conversation about resilience, truth, and the power of persistence — one that will inspire anyone navigating obstacles in their own path.
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Thanks so much for listening!
- Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.
- Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
- Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation.
- Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree.
Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!
-Liz Booker
