Distress call radio
Having accepted that technically the practice is illegal - Hopefully most would now agree that there is little harm in listening in to ATC and other radio transmissions where such information gleamed is not then used for harmful or illegal purposes etc.
For those who continue to object to 'listening in' the practice does have its
plus side. In 1912 when radio was in its infancy and xmit range limited the sinking Titanic's radio distress call SOS / CQD was picked up in Scotland by an amateur who immediatly contacted the authorities -
although they would prove to be sceptical and slow to react.