When mechanical problems occur, pilots rely on what's known as the Quick Reference Handbook -- an electronic checklist for troubleshooting.

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Reference materials on which the sessions are based include the UNESCO Community Radio Handbook, the UN Charter of Human Rights, AMARC manuals, as well as current practices for non-profit organizations and policies in community media.

UNESCO: MEDIA SERVICES

But more than that, Hopkins's father was the author of A Handbook of Average and A Manual of Marine Insurance, both standard reference books for negotiating, averaging, and adjusting the liabilities to insurance underwriters of cargo losses and shipwrecks, so Hopkins grew up in a world wet with marine accidents and was especially attentive to them.

NPR: Excerpt: 'Exiles'