Originally Posted by
sonicbum
As many operators, we also had a few level busts over the years, because of crew selecting the final cleared altitude on SID/STARS with constraints in the middle and for some reason getting out of CLB/DES and here you go, you get a level bust. We basically write down the final cleared altitude on PM MCDU (eg. descend via STAR 3000 ft) and select step by step the different altitudes on the STAR (5000 ft, 4000ft, etc..).
I am not a big fan of the above procedure, as we were discussing above “know your FMA at all times” should be the priority but as we know our business is driven by internal and external statistics.
So what happens if the PM needs the MCDU for something else? I'm also curious if your company just ended up replacing constraint busts with final clearance limit busts. I guess not, particularly if you tend to get cleared lower before reaching the level.