Also consider the free alternative, listening to tower communication
over the internet. Websites like liveatc.com provide links to this,
and the reception will undoubtedly be better then what you can get from
a handheld antenna, as most of the transmission is line-of-sight.

It may be the difference between hearing both the tower and the plane
versus infrequently getting one signal.

Ben Hallert
PP-ASEL