Longtime senior editor Kate O’Connor has been named editor-in-chief of AVweb.com, capping a sparkling writing and editing career at America’s leading independent aviation news and information resource. Kate is a 2009 graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“Kate has shown energy, diligence and superb judgment in running AVweb’s Flash reports, and she has taken on leadership roles for air shows and special projects,” said Timothy Cole, chief content officer of AVweb’s owner Belvoir Media Group. AVweb was started in 1995 by early digital adopters Carl Marbach and Mike Busch, and quickly became a leading model for the genre. Open commentary and a free exchange of views has always been a critical part of the AVweb mix.
Concurrent with the appointment of Kate O’Connor as editor-in-chief, AVweb’s Flash e-newsletter will be moving to a five-times weekly format, and will expand feature coverage in cooperation with sister media Aviation Consumer, Aviation Safety, IFR and KITPLANES.
According to AVweb editor-at-large Paul Bertorelli, “Kate is a great choice to lead AVweb into the next phase of its digital news evolution. She’s got unerring news judgment and terrific mastery of the medium itself. As we go to a daily feed, she’s the perfect editor to lead us on to what’s next.”
“It’s an honor to continue working alongside some of the best in the business as we expand our coverage,” Kate said. “I’m looking forward to this opportunity to further support AVweb’s mission to provide our readers with news and information they can rely on.”
Kate learned to fly as a teenager growing up in Indiana. She is a private pilot and certificated aircraft dispatcher and holds a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics from ERAU. Kate joined AVweb in 2018 and has written for publications including Plane & Pilot, Aviation Consumer and KITPLANES. She is currently based in southern Texas.
Congratulations Kate O’Connor!
AVweb, excellent acknowledgement!
Congrats Kate! I know you’ll do great!
GOOD JOB !! Congrats.
Now then .. would you please take a couple of “Echo Romeo’s” away from DAB !! 🙂
I’m not sure how much good I’d do you at DAB. They might not listen to a Prescott grad!
Congrats, Kate.
Congratulations Kate!
Congratulations Kate on a very well deserved promotion. You have always been a pleasure to work with.
I had the pleasure of meeting Kate at Oshkosh several years ago. I think she will do a great job.
Way to go Kate and please retain the current format if possible. This is a great resource for the GA and business aircraft communities, and always informative and entertaining. Thanks to the entire staff for the bountiful content day after day.
Gratz, Kate. Take it easy on all the old men around there.
Thanks, everyone! The kind words are much appreciated.
Great team!! – you, Paul, & others.
I was just thinkin’ … look at all of us ‘old’ grizzly pilots — who SOME people accuse of being misogynists — congratulating Kate … to a man. So much for THAT fake news.
Yes … please do keep the format generally the same. Another aviation online outlet recently changed and I don’t like it. Well … maybe increase the type size on these replies … it’s tough for old guys to see it 🙂
I’m going to swerve WAY off topic here. But since you brought it up…
As a new Old Pilot myself, I’m guessing that you meant well by congratulating a woman who was promoted. But when one accepts accusations from the Left and defends against them (“I am not a misogynist,” “I am not a homophobe,” “I am not an Islamophobe,” etc.), then I submit that Evil has won the battle.
There are good reasons that I don’t want certain people being Scout leaders, or certain people being pilots for El Al, and those reasons do not involve hate. I do not need to accept the Left’s premise, nor apologize to the Left for my reasoning.
Orwell was right. He who controls the language controls thought. And so, for example, people who have worked hard legitimately and now are rich do not have to “Give Back.” They have nothing to Give Back because they did not steal anything. Similarly, we shouldn’t adopt the Left’s terms and dehumanize unborn babies by using the Left’s carefully chosen term for them. Read the transcript of the oral arguments in Roe v Wade to see how that battle was lost when even the Justices adopted the Left’s language.
A guy who is typically sarcastic if not negative can’t even make a well-intentioned statement to a young gal who deserves the promotion, I guess. Swelll.
“Orwell was right, …: … well then, I say, ‘Soylent Green’ (movie for you’se young people) was framed in the year 2022.
So there. Now then, Piloto, … get back in the room and watch your movie.
The plan is to keep format the same and focus on adding good content.
No disrespect to Kate: Frankly, I don’t know why AvWeb did a “story” about the promotion. To me it’s like the Oscars or News Anchors on TV congratulating one of their own over an award or something. Internal water cooler talk that only really matters to those in the trade. A short, one line press release would have sufficed.
For the most part the Free Market will give be the measure of the editor’s of job performance. Hopefully, in this case, this will not be like Sandra Day O’Connor, who was chosen simply because she was a woman.
If we keep this up, we’ll end up putting people in positions of authority (like Vice President, “Justice” of the Supreme Court, etc.) based on their sex and skin color, instead of based on the content of their character/whether they are the best person for the job.
And you, sir, have definitely revealed the content of your character.
With apologies to Richard M. Nixon, let me make one thing perfectly clear:
Kate’s ovaries did NOT earn this promotion.
KATE earned it.
Dead nuts!