Systems, apparatus and methods for aircraft flight planning and efficient communications with aircraft

Flight planning and/or optimizing flight plans can be performed using ground-based systems with little or no instrumented data, providing efficient communications between aircraft and ground-based systems. Estimates of airspeeds (i.e., derived airspeed) can be derived from transponder telemetry, which is optionally collected independently of flight planning. Alternative (adjusted or revised or modified) flight plans can be generated based on derived airspeed, weather, traffic, etc., and/or performance data specific to an individual aircraft. Aircraft performance models can be updated (e.g., fuel consumption) based on monitoring an aircraft over time. Winds aloft data can be updated based on monitoring of one or more aircraft. Data can be selectively identified and uplinked to aircraft based on certain criteria (e.g., data relevant to geographic areas and altitudes proximate flight path as indicated by flight plan).