Definition
The U.S. Government Printing Office is the federal agency responsible for producing, distributing, and selling official publications of the United States government, including many FAA handbooks, advisory circulars, and aeronautical training materials referenced in aviation instruction.
Plain English
It is the official publisher and seller of U.S. government documents. When the FAA issues a handbook or training manual, the GPO is one of the places that prints and sells it.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA handbook sections that discuss printed training material and where to obtain official publications.
Why Pilots Care
Instructors and students often need authoritative copies of FAA handbooks. Knowing the GPO is an official source helps ensure the materials used in training are current and correct rather than outdated or unofficial reprints.
Intuition Check
Do not read GPO as an aircraft abbreviation or cockpit item here. In this context, it simply names a government publication source.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor ordered fresh copies of the Aviation Instructor's Handbook through the GPO for the new ground school class.
Example Sentence 2
A student ordered the latest printed copy of the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge directly from the GPO.