Hi, there are basicaly two types of radio traffic: those that fly airways in CAS, and the PPL rest. Although you are required by the FRTOL Exam to know the PPL phraseology involved, what is a real bonus when flying, is getting a mental picture of your surrounding flights.
For instance if you are about to fly circuits at a busy airfield, you might hear ... A.. Taking off runway 23 Left Hand circuit. B.. Downwind to land 23. C.. Final Touch and Go runway 23.
This gives you a mental picture that there are at least three airplanes in the circuit, all equally spaced. The Runway in use is RW23, and the circuit pattern is LH Circuits.
What you then need to be able to do, in 60 seconds time, is to still imagine where everyone is. i.e C has done his T+G and is in the climb, B will be just ready to call 'Final 23', and A is either joining the circuit on the downwind leg or departing for a cross country.
It is even possible to imagine where some of the CAS Traffic is just by listening to their transmissions... So on 133.600 Mhz.. 'Hello London, this is Yankie Clipper 21, Flight Level 390 inbound to 'Nigit'' Is obviously an American flight inbound to London just overhead Carmarthen.
If listening to Scottish 128.050 and you hear 'Easyjet 235 descend Flight Level 060 by Wallasey' He is either over the Irish Sea from Ireland or over Mid-Wales from Spain or Tenerife, heading into Liverpool.
If you listen long enough to the air-bands, you will get to know what frequencies cover what areas, and that at slack times (say 23:00.-06:00.) some frequencies and areas are coupled or 'band-boxed.'
If you combine your listening with watching Flightradar24, you will soon be able to get the flight picture, and maybe even second guess who is going to say what next, or who is going to be next on the frequency.