Abstract: A method for computing a required speed profile for an aircraft to meet a required time of arrival (RTA) for a waypoint of a current flight is provided. During flight, the method calculates a fuel-efficient speed profile for the aircraft to meet the RTA for the waypoint, by a processor of a computing device communicatively coupled to one or more avionics systems onboard the aircraft; activates the fuel-efficient speed profile to fly the aircraft to the waypoint, by the processor; determines a priority between fuel efficiency of the fuel-efficient speed profile and time reliability, by the processor; and when the priority is the time reliability, switches from the fuel-efficient speed profile to a guidance margin control strategy to fly the aircraft to the waypoint, wherein the guidance margin control strategy increases the time reliability by enabling the aircraft to satisfy constraints of the RTA.

Abstract: A method for computing a required speed profile for an aircraft to meet a required time of arrival (RTA) for a waypoint of a current flight is provided. During flight, the method calculates a fuel-efficient speed profile for the aircraft to meet the RTA for the waypoint, by a processor of a computing device communicatively coupled to one or more avionics systems onboard the aircraft; activates the fuel-efficient speed profile to fly the aircraft to the waypoint, by the processor; determines a priority between fuel efficiency of the fuel-efficient speed profile and time reliability, by the processor; and when the priority is the time reliability, switches from the fuel-efficient speed profile to a guidance margin control strategy to fly the aircraft to the waypoint, wherein the guidance margin control strategy increases the time reliability by enabling the aircraft to satisfy constraints of the RTA.

Abstract: A method for performing performance prediction with respect to a vertical flight plan. A system performs performance prediction with respect to a vertical flight plan of an aircraft that includes determining which vertical flight plan rules of a plurality of vertical flight rules that have been loaded in a predictions processor are active by monitoring for criteria that are used to initiate or terminate one or more of the vertical flight plan rules. Aircraft state is predicted at waypoints along a lateral flight path in view of active vertical flight plan rules, and the predicted aircraft state is updated within an integrated flight plan database that stores prediction performance data associated with the aircraft's flight.