Coverage was lacking
I have two issues with your next-day coverage of the Southwest Airlines fatality, the first U.S. airline death in eight years. Further, initial findings suggest it could be a systemic problem with the fan blades on this engine in a plane widely in use.
Issue 1: Who decided this only made it to page 4A, as opposed to the front page? Frequent travelers might have given it a higher place of importance given its breaking an eight-year run of no U.S. airline fatalities, plus an initial concern for this engine/airplane possibly having similar problems.
Issue 2: It appears that passengers and others described Pilot Tammie Shults as having "nerves of steel," reflective of her training, as well as experience as a Navy pilot who landed planes on aircraft carriers. Shults was one of the first female fighter pilots in the U.S. military, fighting her way in and up the ranks of the historically male-only elite group.
Given Pilot Shults' historically important role in breaking the glass ceiling for Navy fighter pilots, I would have thought more background information regarding this fact would have been identified and reported. This was a huge milestone for women pilots, and there was more to the story left unreported. Shame on you!
SHARON MARCUM
Little Rock
Our eminent leader
By way of deduction, reader Ed Hancock opines that "our eminent leader wouldn't know the truth if it bit him in the ischial tuberosity." I propose that is not a possible scenario under any circumstances.
Given that the ischial tuberosity is effectively covered by the gluteus maximus when standing, one could presume biting this particular area of the anatomy to be impossible. Conversely, when by the process of sitting the ischial tuberosity actually is uncovered, it nonetheless is rendered inaccessible because the platform used for seating would prohibit access--so it appears to me Eminent Leader can rest easy of the likelihood of this scenario ever becoming reality.
JAMES BARRÉ
Little Rock
Get the extinguisher
It's hard to feel sorry for my Republican friends.
They knew the bed was on fire when they lay down on it.
BOB NELSON
Little Rock
Editorial on 04/21/2018