Aircraft data and portfolio management is automated by collecting all of the paper records and scanning them into a virtual portfolio. The scanned records are subjected to optical character recognition so that the text portions of the records become text-searchable. Then the files are organized in a logical directory tree. Access to the files may be had through the Internet or another network, or the data files may be stored and made available on a portable data carrier. The system provides for immediate and convenient access to historical aircraft records and portfolio management tools.