Organizing Paperwork

[natdm]

How does everyone organize the paperwork for their planes? I've got a '79 with countless upgrades and I've got a full cabinet of paperwork. Taking it home from the plane when I bought it took up the entire passenger side of the car -- floor and seat. It wasn't super consistently organized and I'd prefer it to be.

I organized it in binders when I first bought the plane, but now after doing some of my own upgrades, I see some issues in how I organized it. eg: I combined airframe and prop in one binder. 

How does everyone else organize their STC's, manuals, logs, etc?

[Marc_B]

I prefer autobiographical! ha ha.   Sorry, couldn't resist. (plus High Fidelity is a classic)

 

[Marc_B]

But in all seriousness, I'd suggest scanning all the documents and using something with OCR (optical character recognition) so that it's all searchable.  If you have that much stuff, this would make it WAY easier to find what you're looking for.

Regarding the paperwork order, so many ways to separate out:  maintenance, STCs/FAA, oil analysis/engine monitor data, registrations, financial paperwork...  lots of overlap in some papers.

[ta2too]

1 hour ago, natdm said:

How does everyone organize the paperwork for their planes? I've got a '79 with countless upgrades and I've got a full cabinet of paperwork. Taking it home from the plane when I bought it took up the entire passenger side of the car -- floor and seat. It wasn't super consistently organized and I'd prefer it to be.

I organized it in binders when I first bought the plane, but now after doing some of my own upgrades, I see some issues in how I organized it. eg: I combined airframe and prop in one binder. 

How does everyone else organize their STC's, manuals, logs, etc?

I use planelogix.com. They do all the scanning, OCR searches, flight recording, etc. You can track just about anything with this service.

[toto]

1 hour ago, ta2too said:

I use planelogix.com. They do all the scanning, OCR searches, flight recording, etc. You can track just about anything with this service.

This looks like a nice service. $100/month is a bit expensive though. 

[midlifeflyer]

For a start, have you tossed out obsolete paperwork yet? Especially POH supplement for equipment that was removed or replaced.

[Marc_B]

25 minutes ago, toto said:

This looks like a nice service. $100/month is a bit expensive though. 

I was thinking the same thing...and on their prices this doesn't include initial onboarding/scanning of documents.  Even Adobe Acrobat Pro is only $19.99/month.

[ArtVandelay]

I have a plastic storage box, and I keep it at home, also have digital copies of the maintenance logs.

[natdm]

1 hour ago, midlifeflyer said:

For a start, have you tossed out obsolete paperwork yet? Especially POH supplement for equipment that was removed or replaced.

I actually haven't. Been too afraid to make a mistake doing that, so I just kept it all for now.

[Rick Junkin]

I use an app called Evernote to electronically store and organize all of my documents, not just my airplane stuff. I scan or email everything to Evernote as I receive it and organize it into an electronic "filing cabinet". Everything is searchable and each document can reside in multiple folders. So for instance you can file all of your STCs together, and also file them separately by airframe, engine, prop, and avionics if you want. Microsoft OneNote does the same thing, I believe.

I do keep hard copies of 8130s, 337s and STCs, as well as the electronic files, for no good reason other than I'm old and I like paper backups for that stuff. For other documents like pilot guides, AFMSs, ICAs, and so on I keep electronic copies in the iCloud and downloaded to my iPhone and iPad for easy cockpit reference.

Cheers,
Junkman

[GeeBee]

Current logbooks go in one binder, old logs go in another. 337's in another binder by ATA code. All releases, ICCs  and 8130 in a binder by ATA code. ATA code is your friend. It is the Dewey decimal system for airplanes. 

[dkkim73]

3 hours ago, Rick Junkin said:

I use an app called Evernote to electronically store and organize all of my documents, not just my airplane stuff.

That makes a lot of sense. I use DevonThink Pro which I bought a zillion years ago but is excellent for document research, etc. Well supported (German company with academic focus) Includes good OCR software as well, which I also use for contracts etc. Searchability is huge...

Hth

D