[ortusdux]

I remember being able to select the pilot coms. I was nervous on my first flight as a kid, and it was very calming to hear the preflight checklist and ATC communication in the classic pilot cadence. This was pre 9-11.

I did wonder on my last flight if I could use SDR & android to listen in.

[lxgr]

You can just use LiveATC on your phone these days, since many flights now have gate-to-gate Wi-Fi.

I think it's not allowed to actually operate a radio receiver on an airplane in the us: https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/2322/can-i-listen...

Some airlines might still have the "listen to ATC" feature available, but in my experience, it's the pilots' decision whether that's available or not, and I've only ever been able to use it on a United flight once.

Sirius XM on JetBlue also has an "ATC channel", but I've only ever heard silence there, and I'm not sure if that's a similar thing (i.e. sourced locally), or just a random ATC feed from somewhere in the country relayed via satellite.