With this issue of King Air, a new name appears in the masthead under editor for the first time since the magazine started in 2007. Kim Blonigen is stepping away from the month-to-month duties of bringing this magazine to your mailboxes. Fortunately, she continues to work for Village Press, the magazine’s publisher, and will be an invaluable adviser for King Air going forward.
I am moving into the editor role after writing for the magazine for the past dozen years—mostly profiles highlighting how individuals and companies use the King Air but also inside looks at suppliers and service companies, travel features and more.
I first met Kim in the late 1990s while we both worked in Wichita, Kansas, for what was at the time Raytheon Aircraft (previously known as Beech Aircraft Corporation and later named Hawker Beechcraft Corporation). She was in marketing and I had a hand in external and internal communications as part of the corporate communications team. She became editor when King Air began publication, and I eventually went on to work for Cessna Aircraft Company before turning to a freelance writing career that first included this magazine in 2013.
I earned a journalism degree from the University of Missouri in my hometown of Columbia, and I’ve spent most of my 30-year career in Wichita with some connection to the Air Capital of the World’s general aviation industry.
Kim and I share an admiration for the Beechcraft legacy: the people, the products and the brand’s influence on the aviation community. I consider myself fortunate to have been neighbors to and worked with so many passionate Beechcrafters over the years in east Wichita. I feel that same passion come through when I’m listening to King Air owners, operators and enthusiasts.
Enough about me—I want to hear from you! Let me know what you’d like to see more of on these pages devoted to your favorite turboprop, if you have a story idea related to flying a King Air or any feedback on what you read here. Reach out to me anytime at melinda@kingairmagazine.com.
Happy flying,
MeLinda Schnyder
