I think everyone who has ever been smitten by aeroplanes still has a keen interest in them. I am retired now but my head always goes skywards when I see one, and it would be fair to say that most pilots are still 'basically' spotters of one kind or another.
I also have a few ATCO's as friends and some can't go anywhere without their personal 'radios' to keep up with who is saying what to whom!