INSTRUCTOR PLT WAS ADVISED BY ARPT UNICOM PERSON THAT A R TFC PATTERN WAS PREFERRED FOR THE ACTIVE RWY AT A NON CTLED ARPT. THERE WAS NO INDICATION IN THE ARPT FACILITIES DIRECTORY.

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FOR THE PAST FEW YRS I HAVE BEEN TAKING FLT STUDENTS FROM TRI-CITIES TO ABINGDON ARPT SO THAT THEY COULD LEARN TFC PATTERN PROCS AT UNCTLED ARPTS. DURING THIS TIME I HAD ALWAYS FLOWN A L TFC PATTERN AT VJI BECAUSE I HAD SEEN NO PUBLISHED INFO THAT ANY OTHER PROC WAS AUTH. HOWEVER; EARLIER IN THE WK WHILE FLYING IN THE AREA OF VJI; I HEARD A PLT ASK FOR ADVISORIES FROM UNICOM AND THEN SPECIFICALLY ASK IF R TFC WAS STILL 'PREFERRED' FOR RWY 24. THE UNICOM OPERATOR REPLIED 'AFFIRMATIVE.' REMEMBERING THIS EXCHANGE; BUT NOT HAVING CONSULTED A FACILITY DIRECTORY; I ASKED FOR AN ARPT ADVISORY ON UNICOM AS WE APCHED THE ARPT. I THEN ASKED TO VERIFY THAT THE PREFERRED TFC PATTERN WAS R TFC FOR RWY 24. AGAIN THE UNICOM OPERATOR CONFIRMED R TFC. AFTER MAKING SEVERAL TOUCH AND GO LNDGS IN R TFC WE RETURNED TO TRI. DURING THIS TIME I HEARD A LCL ACFT RPT ENTERING STANDARD L TFC FOR RWY 24 AT ABINGDON. UPON LOOKING UP THE FACILITY IN THE FACILITY DIRECTORY; I FIND NO MENTION OF R TFC AT VJI. I OFTEN ADVISE STUDENTS IN MY GND SCHOOL THAT INFO RECEIVED OVER UNICOM IS NOT OFFICIAL; BUT I FELL INTO THAT TRAP MYSELF. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NO CONFLICT IN THIS INSTANCE; THE POSSIBILITY EXISTS THAT ONE MIGHT DEVELOP DUE TO A MISUNDERSTANDING BY AN UNINFORMED ARPT EMPLOYEE. PERHAPS A BRIEF ORIENTATION FOR FBO PERSONNEL SHOULD BE HELD BEFORE ALLOWING THESE PEOPLE TO GIVE ARPT ADVISORIES OVER THE LCL UNICOM FREQ.