'HELL ABOVE EARTH'
A new nonfiction book by Stephen Frater unearths a twisting tale about a B-17 bomber pilot of German descent who flew for the U.S. in World War II, the co-pilot under secret orders from the FBI to kill him, and the lasting friendship they shared despite all the intrigue. Frater spoke with AVweb's Mary Grady about how he tracked down the story.

Click here to listen. (11.0 MB, 12:04)

DIAMOND'S EDGE -- AI AND FLY-BY-WIRE ARE COMING
Diamond CEO Christian Dries discusses artificial intelligence and its practical application in a new helicopter design and targets 2014 to begin fly-by-wire integration into the company's general aviation designs.

Click here to listen. (5.4 MB, 5:55)

SECURE FUNDING FOR CIRRUS JET
Although the news sneaked out a little early, Cirrus used Aero 2012 to announce that CAIGA, the company's new owners, have committed to getting the Vision jet to market. Cirrus VP Todd Simmons spoke with AVweb's Paul Bertorelli at the show in Germany.

Click here to listen. (5.4 MB, 5:55)

NEW EUROPEAN PILOT RULES
Something that is a likely topic of discussion as AERO 2012 gets under way in Germany this week is the new EU pilot certificate rules as they apply to non-European pilots. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with Jan Brill, the managing editor of Pilote and Flugzeug magazine, about the immediate and long-term effects of the controversial rule.

Click here to listen. (9.7 MB, 10:35)

UNLEADED AVGAS DEVELOPMENTS -- AERO FRIEDRICHSHAFEN
Lycoming general manager Mike Kraft spoke to us at Aero on Europe's use of UL 91 and the potential of that use as a template for distribution paths of unleaded avgas in the U.S. We also discussed progress toward an unleaded avgas solution for general aviation.

Click here to listen. (9.0 MB, 9:47)

CERTIFICATION MADE EASY?
The General Aviation Manufacturing Association is working with regulators all over the world to lower one of the biggest barriers to bringing new aircraft to market. GAMA's Greg Bowles told AVweb's Paul Bertorelli the goal is to cut certification costs in half for many general aviation aircraft.

Click here to listen. (5.5 MB, 6:00)

FLIGHT DESIGN NEWS AT AERO 2012
Flight Design announced EASA certification of two aircraft and unveiled the full-scale mockup of the interior of its C4 four-place at Aero 2012 last week.

ULPOWER'S NEW SIX-CYLINDER ENGINES
At Aero Friedrichshafen, ULPower showed off its new line of six-cylinder engines, from 145hp to 200hp.

PC-AERO'S NEW SOLAR ONE ELECTRIC CRUISER
PC-Aero has come out with its second solar-powered airplane, the Electra Solar One. PC-Aero's Calin Gologan gave AVweb a briefing on it at the Aero Friedrichshafen show in Germany.

MESSERSCHMIDT BF 109 SIMULATOR
If you could fly a Messerschmitt Bf 109, how cool would that be? A simulator is the next best thing. In this AVweb video from Aero 2012 in Friedrichshafen, Germany, we get a sim tour from Hans Schmid.

AVWEB'S AERO ENGINE TOUR
At Aero 2012 in Friedrichshafen, the German Fliegermagazin has sponsored an engaging display of aircraft powerplants ranging from tiny electric engines to a new turbofan from a French company called Price Induction. AVweb video contributor and Fliegermagazin editor Thomas Borchert shows us three of the most interesting engines in the collecton.

DIAMOND DA52 COCKPIT/CABIN TOUR
At Aero 2012, Diamond's Ingmar Meyerbuch gave us a cockpit and cabin tour of the company's new DA52 large cabin twin.

PIPISTREL PANTHERA REVEALED
Have you ever wondered how a new aircraft is born? At the Pipistrel factory, Tine Tomazic gave AVweb an exclusive look at the prototyping process for their much-anticipated new Panthera.

DIAMOND'S NEW V1 TWIN
At Aero 2012 in Friedrichschafen, Diamond is showing off two new twins, including the DA52 Austro-powered V1. With major work on drag reduction, improved engine performance, and lower weight, the V1 definitely has better performance over its predecessor, the DA42 NG.

AERO 2012 OPENS IN FRIEDRICHSHAFEN
As Aero Friedrichschafen begins its 20th year, it's becoming an increasingly important international trade show, and AVweb is there on the ground. Here's a video report on opening day of the show.

MEET THE AVWEBAUDIO TEAM

AVwebAudio is a weekly summary of the podcasts and audio interviews featured on AVweb, the world's premier independent aviation news resource.

The AVwebAudio team is:

Publisher
Tom Bliss

Editorial Director, Aviation Publications
Paul Bertorelli

Editor-in-Chief
Russ Niles

Contributing Editors
Mary Grady
Glenn Pew

Webmaster
Scott Simmons

Contributors
Kevin Lane-Cummings
Jeff Van West

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