Ashley Wimbush says the two careers aren’t as different as you’d probably guess. Here’s why.
They say being an air dealings controlleris one of the most trying Job you may have . You directlarge metallic beastslike chess patch , control they do n’t kick downstairs heads as they shuttle hundreds , nay , 1000 of rider from decimal point A to signal B. You choreograph them for burlesque , and landing , and dictate flight paths . Youoften work long hour . And if there ’s bad weather , well , that ’s a whole other matter .
“ There are things you ca n’t control when working , ” explainsAshley Wimbush , an air traffic controller at MEM , Memphis ’s International Airport . “ It gets especially stressful when you ’ve get bad tempest winds — you’ve get to check that you ’re trace every last normal , to check that pilots are quit safely and down safely . ”
The filmy reach of Wimbush ’s horizon is especially daunting : When she looks out of the window , she ’s responsible for for all aircraft within a seven - Admiralty mile radius . So it makes sensation that at the close of the week , when Wimbush steps down from the tower , she is in terrible need of some strain relief . While from Tuesday to Friday you could find her in ATC fashion at the airport ; when the weekend hits , then you ’ll see her behind the decks .
Ashley Wimbush|Courtesy of G. Duffie Photo
Wimbush run short by the nameDJ Alpha whisky — airmanship enthusiastswill recognize those as the call letters for her initial . In Memphis you’re able to get her spinning melodic line at hotel likeCentral StationorARRIVE , in Nashville you ’ll find her at the1 Hotelor the new W in The Gulch . Daytime cordial reception gigs are more her fastness , but if you swing through Central Station on a Thursday , you’re able to recover her atLadies Night , a veritable company she Centennial State - emcee with dj Naya and Nico .
On Thursday night you may also listen Wimbush ’s spokesperson on “ flight of stairs danger , ” her own radio show on Memphis ’s WXPR . She like to say she controls the bunch and the sky — but while they might seem like disparate attempt , for her DJing and aviation are very much intertwined . “ It balances out , ” she says . “ Music is my therapy . ”
But it ’s what she can do with her music calling that weigh to her the most . “ My stigma is gear toward educating the youthfulness and underrepresented groups about the many possibility and vocation in aviation , ” she explains . “ I use this natural endowment as a way to hit the populace . ” But also , she recently hopped behind the deck of cards branch line of the instant on a misstep to Mykonos . DJing can bring in knowingness , but it ’s alsofun . We speak with Wimbush about her vocation in air , her 2d vocation in music , and how they both take flight .
Courtesy of G. Duffie Photo
The Newest Must-Have for Hip Hotels? A Resident Music Curator
Music consultants on staff are bringing the sounds of the city right to you.
Thrillist : Which occur first , an interest in music , or aviation?Ashley Wimbush : Technically , the euphony came first . I loved music as a kid . I used to hear to a bunch of records , and I just eff making CDs . When I went off to college at Hampton University I was deciding on my major and thought about what I liked . And I was like , Oh , well , I like computers , maybe I ’ll do reckoner skill . But it was n’t until I got there I realise that was n’t for me , and then I became an airmanship major .
I downloaded a pot of music from Limewire and Napster and bought that music to college on my laptop . On the weekends my friends and I would have get - togethers , and I ’d be like , Hey Guy , I ’m gon na be the DJ . And they were like , okay , whatever .
What prompted you to go into aviation?So Vanita , I meet this guy in college who knew ever since he was a young son that he want to be a pilot . He used to beg me all the time to fly with him and lastly I gave in . I flew with him , and everything just kind of changed . He specify up an appointment for me to meet with the Department of Aviation chairperson , and I terminate up flip-flop my John Roy Major into air direction and air traffic restraint .
It was something that I felt like nobody else my family had even done or conceive about , and he gave me the tools that I needed . Once I switched my major , that first summer I applied for an internship with the Federal Aviation Administration and I got it . They sent me toWichita , Kansas — which is recognize as the aviation chapiter of the world , all these swelled aviation company are out there — and that vary my life even more .
What do you do in an airmanship direction major?So in the aviation management John Roy Major , I took business classes , account statement , business management , merchandising and finance class , etc . And also I took aviation constabulary , and classes learning about air dealings . Back then you had to go to a CTI school to be an air traffic accountant , or you had to have military experience as an airwave traffic controller . Now , you just can apply , as long as you have three class of body of work experience doing something , or a college degree , and they ’ll take it from there and will train you on the job .
When did you settle you want to originate DJing as a profession?I was in Memphis , and I was offered a business in Dubai and Atlanta , one of the busiest towers in the earth , but I decided that I require to abuse out on faith and try out being a disc jockey . And for that , Memphis was the best post for me . I had an identity , because I ’m an air traffic accountant , and used that to come up up with my DJ name . I also wanted to bring more awareness to what I do for the youth and minority mathematical group , because a lot of multitude do n’t know what atmosphere dealings control is . People still think it ’s a person that ’s wave cone shape , stand out there on the tarmac . So , I wanted to be able to use my talents to go around the word that , hey , you know , you may do both thing , and this is what an air traffic controller is .
Courtesy of G. Duffie Photo
You went through all of this education as a dark woman . Did you see any others like you when you were doing this?Very few . In 2020 , when Covid hit I was on a conference call , and they released some alarming statistics , because out of 18,000 controllers in the United States , only 245 are Black adult female . It is a clayey male and snowy - dominated career field . And a batch of women are very capable of doing this job . It does get depressing at clock time , because in the tower where I work , I ’m the only Black woman . So I asked , are we just not applying or are you just not selecting ?
They ’re not gon na answer that , but that ’s why I get out here and I do what I do .
I also partner with other aviation organization here in Memphis , we call ourselves Team Memphis . We host an event in September calledWings Over the Branch , because we do it at Olive Branch , Mississippi at their airport . We have a exceptional flight school calledLuke Weather ’s Flight Academythat ’s minority - possess and operated — we get inglorious kids and marginalized groups , it really does n’t count , you could be any race , but we really prove to pore on getting minorities involved in aviation , whether you desire to fly or become a mechanic or engineer or drone pilot . We take anywhere up to 50 kids on free discovery flights . They go up in little Cessna plane , and some of them have never flown before . And every last one of them comes back enounce “ I want to be a pilot ! I wanna vanish ! ”
One of the major barriers to catch into aviation is the cost . Has it get better?you’re able to get scholarships , and now , a lot of the air hose , because they ’re hurting for pilots , are giving out more scholarship and society programs for students .
How was it getting started with your DJ career?My first lance was the worst event ever . It was a grand chess opening for a haircare merchandise . This girl open up her store , she wanted euphony and a vibration , and I completely dropped the ball because I had the wrong cables for my DJ board . You know , when you ’re unforced to do something but you do n’t quite do it everything ? But I did n’t give up . The first couple of events were a little shaky but I kept kick the bucket and begin better and better .
For One of Europe’s Hottest New Raves, Head to the Airport
Layovers are next level at this international airport.
What is your schedule like these days?Tuesday through Friday I ’m at ATC — I do day shifts now . I ’m a morning person so I get up around 5 o’clock . On the weekday , I might have a gig or two , on Thursday nighttime , perchance just one for two or three hours , and that ’s it . And on the weekend , hey , I make time . But I mostly prefer doing brunches and hotels , things that are done originally in the twenty-four hours . The belated I ’ll go is midnight or so .
I guess hotel DJing sorting of fits in with your life style well . How did you get into hotels?I am persistent . I emailed 25,000 clock time . I call 50,000 times , and then I went up there and face to face 100,000 times . What you put in is what you get out . The first hotel I was capable to get in was Central Station Hotel . I air them a whole mixture so they could hear me .
It is unmanageable though , so I co - founded a social radical , theSheDJs , with DJ Crystal Mercedes , who helped me get start out . We help other female who are just starting out to retrieve their way — knowing how to do bill and know how to advertize yourself and do sure thing .
What ’s the proficient part about DJing for you?I get to take on people who are traveling all over from all over and I realized that doing hotel brunches brings me so much joy . To get people locomote first affair in the morning with good music , good food , and perchance a silver wattle here or there , you ’re like oh yeah I ’m quick to go get my day started , it ’s gon na be a good day .
