We investigated the characteristics of atmospheric pressure (AP) air glow discharge with aqueous electrolyte cathode. Distilled water or aqueous solutions of HNO3, KCI, KBr and KI were utilized as a cathode. The cathode voltage drop, electric field strength, gas temperature as well as emission intensity of some lines of OI, H, K, Na and bands of N-2, OH, NO were measured at discharge current from 10 to 50 mA. The procedure of gas temperature measurement on the base of non-resolved structure of N-2(C(3)Pi(u) -> B(3)Pi(g)) bands was described. The reduced electric field strength (E/N) was obtained, which showed that the discharge existed in the normal mode. On the base of these data, the regularities of optical emission were discussed.