simonchowder does sound rather like a failed spotter..
Did he scald someone with his thermos of coffee on a viewing balcony somewhere?
Maybe he poked someone's eye out with his airband radio antenna.
Or quite likely he ticked all the reg entries in his World Airline Fleet handbook without actually spotting the aircraft concerned!
Legal or not - listening to airband is a harmless pursuit and (with a copy of CAP413 handy) helps PPL students gain an excellent understanding of the language and proceedures before they take their RT exam. It certainly made me feel alot more confident about talking to ATC when I was training.
TrafficPilot