Abstract: An offscreen traffic information indicator system includes signal receivers for receiving traffic messages from proximate air and ground vehicles and a traffic indicator for determining the positions of the host aircraft and the proximate vehicles based on the traffic messages. Based on the locations of the host aircraft and proximate vehicles and their proximity to airport runways, the traffic indicator may designate runways as relevant runways (or receive relevant runway designations from the flight management system of the host aircraft) and designate proximate vehicles as relevant to the host aircraft. A display unit may display, along with a dynamic map of a region near the host aircraft, relevant runway indicators for relevant runways within the mapped region and offscreen traffic indicators for relevant aircraft positioned outside the mapped region.

Abstract: A system for communicating between an operator of an aircraft and at least one entity may include a data-link device configured to transmit text messages from the operator of the aircraft to the at least one entity and configured to receive text messages transmitted by the at least one entity to the operator of the aircraft. The data-link device may include an input interface configured to permit the operator of the aircraft to compose the text messages to transmit to the at least one entity and a display module configured to display the text messages transmitted to the at least one entity and the text messages received from the at least one entity. The transmitted text messages and the received text messages may be displayed and chronologically listed in a message thread.