An apparatus for detecting performance of a current takeoff of an aircraft by predicting at least one takeoff performance characteristic of an aircraft prior to takeoff for a current flight, the apparatus comprising: at least one processor deployable on the aircraft, the at least one processor being programmed to implement, when a model of thrust based on a look-up table is unavailable, a trained model of thrust of the aircraft during a takeoff having a first component based on sensor data contributed from the current flight takeoff and having a second component based on derivative data contributed from a prior flight takeoff wherein the first and second components used in the modeling of the thrust are based on at least one aircraft takeoff performance characteristic of: acceleration from thrust, friction from slope, and drag from friction of the aircraft during the takeoff; the at least one processor having an input coupled to receive sensor data from at least one sensor system deployed on the aircraft; the at least one processor having an associated memory for acquiring, prior to the takeoff for the current flight, the derivative data contributed from a prior flight takeoff; the at least one processor being programmed to use the trained thrust model to predict, under conditions of missing or uncertain information about a engine thrust characteristic functions of the aircraft or about environmental conditions, the at least one aircraft takeoff performance characteristic for a subsequent takeoff time in the future relative to a current takeoff time; and the at least one processor being configured to supply the at least one takeoff performance characteristic to an avionics system on board the aircraft. at least one processor deployable on the aircraft, the at least one processor being programmed to implement, when a model of thrust based on a look-up table is unavailable, a trained model of thrust of the aircraft during a takeoff having a first component based on sensor data contributed from the current flight takeoff and having a second component based on derivative data contributed from a prior flight takeoff wherein the first and second components used in the modeling of the thrust are based on at least one aircraft takeoff performance characteristic of: acceleration from thrust, friction from slope, and drag from friction of the aircraft during the takeoff; the at least one processor having an input coupled to receive sensor data from at least one sensor system deployed on the aircraft; the at least one processor having an associated memory for acquiring, prior to the takeoff for the current flight, the derivative data contributed from a prior flight takeoff; the at least one processor being programmed to use the trained thrust model to predict, under conditions of missing or uncertain information about a engine thrust characteristic functions of the aircraft or about environmental conditions, the at least one aircraft takeoff performance characteristic for a subsequent takeoff time in the future relative to a current takeoff time; and the at least one processor being configured to supply the at least one takeoff performance characteristic to an avionics system on board the aircraft.