Hi Tim,
I have to agree with ArnaudC, because what he suggests is not at all contradictory to what you write, but about having a zoom to see further into the future of the planned flight in the vertical profile. 10 nautical miles is simply very little, especially with faster aircrafts, and quickly leads one to airspace boundaries without being able to react in time.
Also the "BOC/TOC/TOD/BOD indicators" are important to make early decisions. Often it is necessary to change the pre-planned flight route during the flight due to weather or ATC instructions. Then the pilot has make a quick decision "in flight" e.g. is he able to fly the new routing at all with the available flight performance of his aircraft.
So why not make the functionality of the planning mode (section of the virtual radar = section of the main screen) switchable on and off in flight mode? That way we can have both!