Commercial Organizations  Educational/Training Institutions  Industry Organizations  Sources of Material  Printed Material  8-11  In aviation, documentation in the form of flight publications or maintenance data needs to be immediately available for referral while  flying or conducting maintenance. While the portability of printed material meets this need for immediate availability, printed  material has two disadvantages. First, it takes up space for storage and second, it can be time consuming to keep printed material  current. Many publishers of printed material now make their information available in electronic format. For example, most FAA  regulations, standards, and guides are available either in electronic form or as hard copy.  The aviation instructor has two reasons to maintain a source of current information and publications. First, the instructor needs a  steady supply of fresh material to make instruction interesting and up to date. Second, instructors should keep themselves well  informed by maintaining familiarity with what is being written in current aviation publications. Many of these publications are in  printed form, but increasingly, information is available through electronic means.  [Figure 8-9]  In addition to government publications, a number of excellent handbooks and other reference materials are available from commercial  publishers through print and online media. Aviation periodicals and technical journals from the aviation industry are other sources of  valuable information for instructors. Many public and institutional libraries have excellent resource material on educational  psychology, teaching methods, testing, and other aviation related subjects.  An aviation instructor should maintain access to current flight publications or maintenance publications. For the flight instructor, this  includes current copies of regulations pertinent to pilot qualification and certification, Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM),  ACS/PTS, and pilot training manuals. The aviation maintenance instructor should have copies of applicable regulations, current  knowledge and ACS/PTS, and maintenance training manuals. Aviation instructors should be thoroughly familiar with current  certification and rating requirements in order to provide competent instruction. Many of the advisory circulars should be considered by  the aviation instructor as refer e nces. The www.faa.gov website maintains current advisory circulars under the Regulations and  Policies tab.  Many industry organizations have local affiliated chapters that make it easy to meet other pilots, technicians, and instructors. These  meetings frequently include presentations by industry experts, as well as formal training sessions. Some aviation industry  organizations conduct their own training sessions on areas such as the flight instructor refresher course and Inspection Authorization  (IA) seminars. Properly organized safety symposiums and training clinics are valuable sources of refresher training. They are also an  excellent opportunity to exchange information with other instructors.  Other significant sources of ongoing education for aviation instructors ar e aviation organizations. Th ese organizations no t only  provide educational articles in their publications, but also present training programs or cosponsor such programs.  There are numerous organizations around the country that offer courses of training for aviation instructors. These are generally  courses that are available to all pilots and technicians but are especially useful for instructors to improve their abilities. Examples of  such courses include workshops for maintenance technicians to enhance their skills in subjects such as composites, sheet metal  fabrication, and fabric covering. For pilots, there are courses in mountain flying, spin training, upset prevention and recovery, and tail  wheel qualification to name a few. Flight instructors also may increase their aviation knowledge and experience by adding additional  category and class ratings to their certificates.  Commercial organizations are another important source of education/training for the aviation instructor. Some may be publishers or  online suppliers of training materials while others may provide complete ground and flight training programs for professional pilots  and instructors. These companies often provide a wide variety of study programs including videos, computer-based training, and  printed publications. Many offer training that can be attended either at the home base of the company, at classes or seminars around  the country, or through internet sites.  Professional aviation instructors can further increase their knowledge and skill in aviation specialties by attending classes at local  community colleges, technical schools, or universities. These schools may offer complete degree programs in aviation subjects as  well as single-subject courses of benefit to instructors. 