Airbus MCDU Flight Plan (F-PLN) Entry & Lateral Revision, Step by Step
Once your INIT parameters are set, the next job on the Airbus MCDU is building the route. This guide walks you through reading the F-PLN (Flight Plan) page, using Lateral Revision (LAT REV) to insert your SID and waypoints, clearing every F-PLN DISCONTINUITY, and avoiding the mistakes that quietly wreck a flight plan.
1. Reading the F-PLN page
After you finish initialization, open the F-PLN page to enter or review your route. If you already typed the full route on the MCDU's initialization page, you don't need to re-enter the waypoints here — they'll already be listed. If you didn't, you'll build the plan manually, which is what the rest of this guide covers.
Each line on the F-PLN page represents one point in your route. Three columns do most of the talking:
FROM column — lists each individual waypoint in sequence, starting from your origin.
TIME column — shows the elapsed time from the start of the flight to the moment you cross that waypoint. It is not the leg time between two adjacent waypoints.
Speed / Altitude column — shows speed and altitude restrictions (ceilings or limits), not a prescriptive "fly exactly this" target.
Use the ↑ / ↓ keys to scroll through the plan. Your destination stays pinned at the bottom even as you page through the route.
2. When you need Lateral Revision (LAT REV)
If no computed route has been loaded, the F-PLN page will only show your origin and destination — everything in between is missing. To fill in the departure procedure and en-route waypoints, you use Lateral Revision (LAT REV).
Throughout this guide we'll build the following example route from Chengdu (ZUUU) to Chongqing (ZUCK):
3. Entering the departure runway & SID
To attach a departure procedure, revise the origin airport:
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Open LAT REV on the origin
Press the line-select key next to your departure airport to enter Lateral Revision mode.
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Go to the DEPARTURE page
Select DEPARTURE in the top-left corner of the LAT REV page.
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Choose your takeoff runway
Pick the active runway — in our example,
02 / 02L. -
Select the SID
Choose the appropriate SID (Standard Instrument Departure) from the list of available procedures.
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Confirm the selection
Confirm your choices. Entries shown in yellow are temporary; once confirmed they turn green.
4. Clearing an F-PLN DISCONTINUITY
After adding a procedure, the MCDU often inserts an F-PLN DISCONTINUITY — a gap telling you the route isn't yet continuous. Leaving these in place can cause the aircraft to fly the legs in the wrong order, so clear them as you go.
To remove one, press the CLR key, then press the line-select key next to the discontinuity you want to delete. The two ends of the route join together.
5. Adding en-route waypoints: two methods
With the SID in place, you now add the airways and waypoints between departure and arrival. There are two reliable ways to do it.
Method A — The "piggyback" insert
Fast for adding several waypoints in a row:
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Type the waypoint
Enter the waypoint name into the scratchpad.
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Insert it at the discontinuity
Press the line-select key at the
DISCONTINUITYposition — the new waypoint drops into place automatically. -
Repeat in order
Continue for each following waypoint, working down the route in sequence.
Method B — The standard LAT REV insert
More deliberate, and useful when you're revising a specific point:
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Open LAT REV on an existing waypoint
Press the line-select key next to a waypoint already in the plan to enter LAT REV.
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Enter the new waypoint on the right
Type the new waypoint into the right-hand side (position
R3). -
Confirm
Select the waypoint to confirm its insertion.
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Clean up
Clear any remaining discontinuities once you're done.
Tired of clicking the MCDU with a mouse?
Build these flight plans on a real, backlit Rowsfire panel — tactile keys, authentic layout, plug-and-play with MSFS & X-Plane.
Explore Rowsfire cockpit panels6. Common pitfalls to avoid
Duplicate waypoint names. Some identifiers exist in more than one place in the world. When the MCDU offers a list of duplicates, choose the one closest to your aircraft's current position and consistent with your route — the wrong pick can send you hundreds of miles off course.
Waypoints missing from the database. If a fix in your route isn't in the nav database, the MCDU can't insert it. Decide whether to skip it and continue to the next valid point, or adjust your route — don't just leave a dangling discontinuity.
Once every waypoint is in and every discontinuity is cleared, your F-PLN reads as one continuous route from origin to destination. Give it a final scroll to confirm the sequence, then you're ready to move on to radio navigation and fuel/weight entry.
