Harian -

You'll have to know what you're looking for on the airband frequencies.

Transmissions are spasmodic, and short & sweet - no chat.
VHF is line-of-sight, so you're unlikely to pick up transmissions from
ground stations, unless you're near an airfield or airport.
Easy to listen to aircraft, though, which contact Air Traffic Control near
airfields, and at various reporting-points on their routes.
Airports transmit recorded information about weather, runways-in-use,
altimeter settings, etc, updated regularly.
There is fascinating lisening at the Experimental Aircraft Association's
annual Fly-in at Oskosh, Wisconsin, beginning of August - 12,000 aircraft
being sequenced in and out, by some really sharp, fast-talking controllers.

The airband-radio shops will have comprehensive frequencies guide-books.

Two good pocket-size receivers are the Icom IC-R5 (about 150 pounds sterling
over here) and the Maycom AR 108 (about £60)

Good luck...

RichardD