Definition
A plan view display is the main radar screen used by air traffic controllers to show aircraft positions from directly above, as if looking straight down on a map. It presents each aircraft as a target symbol with an associated data block showing identification, altitude, and ground speed, overlaid on a depiction of airways, navaids, airspace boundaries, and terrain features.
Plain English
It's the controller's main screen — a top-down map view showing where every aircraft is, who they are, and how high and fast they're going.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of radar, traffic, navigation, and other cockpit or air traffic control displays that show where things are horizontally.
Derivation
Plan view' is an architectural and engineering term for a drawing that shows something from directly above, looking straight down. Architects use plan views for floor layouts; controllers use them for the same reason — to see how things are arranged across an area at a glance.
Why Pilots Care
Gives controllers and pilots a clear picture of traffic flow and separation without needing to interpret altitude or perspective cues.
Analogy
It is like looking at a road map from above. You can see where the roads and cars are across the surface, but you do not automatically know their height unless that information is shown separately.
Intuition Check
“Plan” here does not mean an intended course of action. It means a top-down view, like a map or drawing seen from above.
Example Sentence 1
The controller spotted the converging traffic on the plan view display and issued a turn to maintain separation.
Example Sentence 2
During the approach briefing the pilot referenced the PVD to visualize the arrival routing.