DISCONTINUITIES, VECTORS AND CONSTRAINTS
Inspect a discontinuity in the context of the chart and adjacent legs. It may be an unintended gap or the expected break before a vectoring phase. Those cases can look similar in F-PLN and require different actions. Establish the intended continuation before using CLR. [66, PDF pp. 331-337]
When joining the route is intended and cleared, remove the discontinuity, inspect the temporary path and insert the change. Retain a vectoring break until the clearance provides a suitable continuation. A continuous line is not evidence that the route is correct; the coded path still has to represent the cleared flight. [66, PDF pp. 331-337] [66, PDF pp. 312-314]
Review speed and altitude constraints alongside the selected FCU altitude. The charted restriction, its coded representation and the current clearance serve different purposes and must remain consistent. In particular, a lower altitude later in the route does not authorise the aircraft to descend through an uncleared level in the FCU. [66, PDF pp. 394-395,404-410]
IN PRACTICE: Resolve a gap without losing the procedure
Before you begin: The flight plan and applicable chart are open. Work on one identified discontinuity or constraint at a time.
1. Identify what surrounds the gap
Action. Find the waypoint immediately before the discontinuity and the first leg after it. Compare them with the chart and the intended route, including any MANUAL termination or vectoring phase.
Check. You know what the discontinuity represents. You are no longer treating all breaks as identical formatting errors. [66, PDF pp. 331-337]
2. Retain an intentional vectoring break
Action. Where the procedure terminates for headings or radar vectors, retain the relevant manual/vectoring structure until the actual continuation is established. Brief where the published route ends and what guidance you expect next.
Check. The MCDU still represents the intended procedure. It has not been made continuous by adding an unbriefed direct leg across a vectoring phase. [66, PDF pp. 331-337]
3. Remove only a justified discontinuity
Action. If the two route portions are intended and cleared to join, use CLR on the discontinuity entry. Inspect the proposed connecting leg before selecting the offered INSERT.
Check. The temporary geometry connects the correct fixes in the correct order. If it does not, abandon the proposal and correct the route construction. [66, PDF pp. 331-337] [66, PDF pp. 312-314]
4. Inspect the restriction itself
Action. At a constrained waypoint, open the relevant vertical revision and compare its speed and altitude condition with the chart. Distinguish an exact altitude, an above/below condition and an altitude window.
Check. The coded condition means what the chart requires. A familiar number has not distracted you from the restriction attached to it. [66, PDF pp. 394-395,404-410]
5. Keep the clearance limit independent
Action. Compare the FCU altitude with the current clearance. A flight-plan restriction is part of the route; it does not authorise climbing or descending beyond the cleared altitude.
Check. The FCU limit and the charted restrictions can be explained together, including which one will limit the next manoeuvre. [23, PDF pp. 1074-1077] [66, PDF pp. 394-395,404-410]
6. Recheck the surrounding route
Action. After insertion, scroll several legs on either side and inspect PLAN mode again. Check for a duplicate waypoint, an unexpected turn or a restriction lost during the revision.
Check. The local repair has not created a new problem just beyond the page you were editing. [66, PDF p. 128]
Complete when: Every remaining discontinuity has an operational explanation, every removed one has a justified connection, and chart restrictions remain correctly represented.