Women in Aviation featuring Ashley Shelton

Join Airshare this Women’s History Month as we highlight one of our incredible pilots, Ashley Shelton. Read on to learn more about Ashley and her inspiring aviation career. 

“I began my aviation career in August 2010 after enrolling in an air traffic control Associate Degree program at Tulsa Community College. As part of the degree requirements, I had to complete my Part 141 stage one solo flight. I soloed a Cessna 172 in October 2011 and graduated with a degree in air traffic control in the summer of 2012.

I was hired by Tulsa International Airport in 2013 as a police officer and airfield operations officer. A dual position at the time, I quickly rose through the ranks and became a police sergeant and was appointed airfield operations supervisor at TUL.

I met my husband, a national air show performer and warbird pilot, in the summer of 2013 and began pursuing my private pilot certificate in early 2016. My husband bought a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub for me to learn in and then bought a 1946 Funk taildragger for me take my private pilot check ride. I earned my private certificate in my Funk in the spring of 2016 and earned my commercial pilot certificate in my J-3 Cub soon after. I completed all complex requirements in my 1942 North American AT-6 Texan. I completed the rest of my ratings, including CFI/CFII/MEI by the summer of 2020.

Within that time, I became my husband’s wing walker in 2015 on our 1943 Boeing Super Stearman biplane and performed at dozens of air shows around the nation, including EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. My husband and I are airplane owners and warbird enthusiasts and have a collection of 7 airplanes that we keep at home on our neighborhood airport community. We own a 1944 Grumman FM-2 Wildcat, two North American AT-6 Texans, a Boeing Stearman, Piper J-3 Cub, clipped-wing Taylorcraft, and a Van’s RV-6. I love taildraggers and have over 1,300 hours of tailwheel experience.

I became a member of the Commemorative Air Force in late 2019 and was selected to be a co-pilot on the 1944 North American B-25 “Mitchell” bomber – “Devil Dog”. I have been actively flying with the CAF since that time and have accrued over 150 flight hours in the B-25.

I was hired at Airshare in May 2022 and have earned my ATP and PIC type rating in the Embraer Phenom 300. I love my job and look forward to upgrading to Captain soon!”