Systems and methods for handling incoming aircraft operation instructions are disclosed. A method in accordance with one embodiment of the invention includes receiving from a source off-board an aircraft an instruction for changing a characteristic of the aircraft, and automatically displaying at least a portion of the instruction at a first display location. In response to receiving a first input signal directed by an operator onboard the aircraft, the method can further include displaying at least a target portion of the instruction at a second display location, without the instruction being manually regenerated, and without the instruction becoming part of a flight plan list. In response to receiving a second input signal directed by an operator, the method can further include displaying at least a target portion of the instruction at a third display location, again without the instruction being manually regenerated.

Methods and systems for displaying aircraft operations information are disclosed. A method in accordance with one embodiment includes receiving operations information, presenting a first portion of the information over a first area of a display medium having a first size, receiving a signal corresponding to an instruction to increase a fraction of the display medium occupied by the operations information, and presenting at least the first portion of the operations information over a second, larger area of the display medium. Multiple display media can be controlled by independent selectors, with each selector having two portions, one to select categories of aircraft operations information, and another to present groups of selectable options corresponding to each of the individual categories of operations information.

Methods and systems for handling aircraft control information are disclosed. A system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention includes a display medium coupleable to a flight manager, with the flight manager configured to receive and direct instructions for automatically controlling aircraft functions at a future time during flight of the aircraft. The system can further include a display controller coupled to the display medium to present at least one operator activatable element at the display medium and update information presented at the display medium when the operator activates the operator activatable element. For example, the operator activatable element can include an icon presented at a computer display screen, and can be activated by a keystroke.

Systems and methods for presenting and obtaining flight control information are disclosed. In one embodiment, information corresponding to a vertical motion of the aircraft can be displayed between information corresponding to a lateral motion of the aircraft and information corresponding to an airspeed of the aircraft. The information displayed can include a current mode for controlling the motion of the aircraft, a current target to which the aircraft is being directed and, at least proximate to both the current mode and the current target, a subsequent target to which the aircraft will be directed after attaining the current target.

Systems and methods for presenting information corresponding to circuit breakers and for controlling such circuit breakers are disclosed. In one embodiment, the system can include a menu-driven, pointer-accessible graphical user interface via which an operator can receive information corresponding to circuit breakers, and can automatically change the states of the circuit breakers. Menus of circuit breaker information can be organized by the state of the circuit breaker, the location of the circuit breaker, the bus to which the circuit breaker is coupled, the electrical system to which the circuit breaker belongs, and/or the system or subsystem of which the circuit breaker is a part. In further embodiments, the circuit breaker information can be organized according to custom-made arrangements.