A monitoring system and method are provided for real time monitoring of flaps, landing gears, or tail skids to determine safe taxi, takeoff, and flight readiness. Monitoring units, including scanning LiDAR devices combined with cameras or sensors, mounted in aircraft exterior locations produce a stream of meshed data that is securely transmitted to a processing system to generate a real time visual display of the flaps, landing gears, or tail skid for communication to aircraft pilots to ensure safe aircraft taxi, takeoff, and flight readiness. Actual flap position alignment with optimal flap setting, proper retraction and extension positions of landing gears, and tail skid condition is ensured. Safety of aircraft taxi, takeoff and flight and airport operations are improved when the present system and method are used to prevent incidents related to misaligned flaps and improperly positioned landing gears or tail skids.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for generating efficient flight profiles in a variety of aircraft are disclosed. A method includes receiving required time of arrival (RTA) constraints for the aerial vehicle. The RTA constraints include a required time of arrival for a waypoint. The method also includes inputting the RTA constraints into a problem configured to generate flight plans based on the required time of arrival for the waypoint of the RTA constraints. The problem includes an altitude variable and a speed variable. The method also includes generating, as a solution to the problem, a flight plan by varying the altitude variable and the speed variable in order to reduce operating cost of the aerial vehicle based at least in part on the RTA constraints, and providing the flight plan to at least one computing system of the aerial vehicle. The flight plan includes a route traversing the waypoint.

A portable computerized device for an aircraft control system includes an input system for inputting commands, a device display for displaying information on the computerized device, a processor, a wireless communication module, and a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions configured to cause the processor to perform a method. The method can include detecting whether the portable computerized device is in a cockpit state such that the portable computerized device is in and/or docked to an aircraft cockpit or if the portable computerized device is in a remote state such that the portable computerized device is not in an aircraft cockpit or is not docked to an aircraft cockpit. If the portable computerized device is determined to be in a remote state, the method includes operating the remote device in a remote mode. If the portable computerized device is determined to be in a cockpit state, the method includes operating the device in a local mode.

A system includes a portable air sensing device and an electronic interface device. The portable air sensing device is configured to sense a concentration of component gas in surrounding air and wirelessly transmit the sensed concentration. The electronic interface device is positioned within a cockpit of an aircraft and is communicatively coupled with the portable air sensing device. The electronic interface device is configured to receive the wirelessly transmitted concentration from the portable air sensing device, and generate, for display, an indication of the received concentration in relation to a defined threshold maximum concentration of the component gas.

A method of transferring aircraft data from an aircraft to a portable electronic device entails receiving at the portable electronic device the aircraft data from a data connection with an aircraft data source without writing data back to the aircraft or from a user interface while being capable of receiving aircraft data via the data connection and executing an application on the portable electronic device using the aircraft data to present new information about the aircraft or its operating environment that is not available for display on a cockpit display but which is displayable on the portable electronic device based on the aircraft data received by the portable electronic device.

Methods and systems are provided for displaying non-compliance with expected performance values for flight parameters of an aircraft. The method comprises collecting flight parameter data from the aircraft during aircraft operations and generating a graphical display of a flight path of the aircraft. The flight parameter data is compared with the expected performance values for the flight parameters of the aircraft and points of noncompliance by the aircraft are identified along its flight path. A graphical display icon is superimposed on each point of noncompliance on a graphical display of the flight path of the aircraft. The graphical display icon is a unique iconographic representation of the flight parameter. The flight path and the display icons are displayed on a graphical display device for review after completion of aircraft operations.

Methods and systems for optimizing the flight of an aircraft are disclosed. The trajectory is divided into segments, each of the segments being governed by distinct sets of equations, depending on engine thrust mode and on vertical guidance (climb, cruise or descent). By assuming two, aerodynamic and engine-speed, models, data from flight recordings are received and a number of parameters from a parameter-optimization engine is iteratively determined by applying a least-squares calculation until a predefined minimality criterion is satisfied. The parameter optimization engine is next used to predict the trajectory point following a given point. Software aspects and system (e.g. FMS and/or EFB) aspects are described.

A method for providing task management assistance in managing the flight path to the flight crew is provided. The method comprises: mining flight plan data and navigational data from an aircraft system; obtaining notification data items originating from systems external to the aircraft; determining an estimated flight time to reach each of the plurality of waypoints, course data items, and the upcoming conditions; causing a timeline graphical user interface (GUI) to be displayed on an aircraft display, wherein the timeline GUI is configured to display a timeline, waypoint graphical elements representative of the waypoints, course data item graphical elements representative of the other course data items, and notification data item graphical elements representative of the upcoming conditions; automatically analyzing the mined flight plan data and the notification data items to determine if deviation from the flight plan is suggested; and providing a notification of the suggested deviation from when deviation is suggested.

A flight deck system for providing task management assistance in managing the flight path to the flight crew is provided. The system is configured to: mine flight plan data for a current flight plan, navigational data, and vertical situation display (VSD) data; obtain notification data items originating from onboard avionics systems and systems external to the aircraft that indicate upcoming conditions that will affect the current flight plan; automatically analyze the mined flight plan data and the notification data items to identify a sensed deviation condition; automatically identify an aircraft-related deviation condition from an aircraft failure event; receive flight crew notification of a non-sensed deviation condition; automatically generate a plurality of flight plan deviation options to accommodate a sensed deviation condition, an aircraft-related deviation condition, or a non-sensed deviation condition; and present graphical elements representative of the flight plan deviation options to the flight crew on an integrated interactive graphical user interface.

A system to distribute an Aircraft Operations Communication (AOC) application is provided. The system includes communication components in a vehicle, and an AOC database. The communication components include one of: a Communication Management Unit (CMU); or a Communication Management Function (CMF); and at least one of: at least one electronic flight bag (EFB); and at least one cabin terminal. The AOC database includes an operational configuration for aircraft operations communication for the communication components in the vehicle. The AOC database is loaded into at least one of: the CMU, the CMF, the at least one EFB; the at least one cabin terminal; and a database device. The AOC database configures the operation of the communication components in the vehicle.