Definition
The radar screens used by Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) controllers to monitor and separate aircraft operating in the en route phase of flight. These displays show aircraft position, identification, altitude, and ground speed derived from radar returns and transponder data, covering large sectors of airspace between terminal areas.
Plain English
The screens that en route controllers watch to track aircraft flying between airports. They show where each aircraft is, who it is, how high it is, and how fast it is going.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of Air Route Traffic Control Centers and how controllers monitor instrument flight traffic between departure and arrival areas.
Derivation
"Center" here is short for Air Route Traffic Control Center, the FAA facility that controls high-altitude en route traffic. "Radar" comes from "Radio Detection And Ranging," the technology used to locate aircraft by bouncing radio signals off them. So a Center radar display is simply the radar screen used at a Center.
Why Pilots Care
These displays let controllers provide radar separation and traffic advisories for IFR flights across large areas between airports.
Grounding Statement
A center radar display is the controller’s working picture of aircraft moving through a large block of airspace.
Intuition Check
Center does not mean the middle of a screen here. It refers to an Air Route Traffic Control Center, the facility that manages traffic over a large region.
Example Sentence 1
On the Center radar displays, each aircraft appears as a target with a data block showing its call sign, altitude, and ground speed.
Example Sentence 2
Center radar displays showed two aircraft converging, prompting the controller to vector one off course for separation.