Hi Everyone,
My name is Jose, I enjoy reading the stories and reasons you have posted for listening to Live ATC,
I have loved aviation eaver since I can remember, and I guess I also fall into several of the categories as you will see.
1-Airplane spotter since I was 8 years old ( 1973 ) in Mexico City.
2-Radio enthusiast since 1981 when I assembled my first Aircraft band reciever from a Radio shack sience fair kit, have owned several Air band recievers, and scannerrs since, (By the way I just found one of those old since fair kits unopenned on e-bay and bought it for old sake).
3-Aircraft Mechanic, Attended Sierra Academy of Aeronautics in Oakland CA, got My A&P Licence in 1987.
4-Pilot since 1991 (traded A&P work for flying and instruction from instructor with airplane that was building time so it worked out great for both of us I got my PPL for next to nothing except the labor for 100 hr inspections, tire and oil changes LOL) Flew all over the state of CA lots of fun memories.
5-Flight Simulation, I purchased my first computer in 1994, and loved it, have owned every version of Microsoft flight simulator since., being a fan of Airplanes and computers I have built my own home flight simulator which has 6 monitors, works great and I regulary fly it on Line using VATSIM and VATMEX and when not online I fly it while monitoring Live ATC.net.
With respect to my carrier in aviation I went on to get my Inspection Authorisation as well as my Commercial Instrument and multi engine ratings, worked as an aerial photography pilot where I built lots of multi engine time flying a Piper Aztec photographing Airports and roads on contract with several goverment agencies, I Currently fly a Citation 560XL and a King Air as a Corporate pilot. I fly to Mexico often and love comunicating with ATC in my native language as soon as I cross the southern border, not because I dont like comunicating in eanglish but because I grew up in Mexico city and my first experiences listening to ATC were in spanish, I learned to fly in the US and took 20 years before I flew in my native country as a pilot, now I fly south regulary and enjoy it very much.
I really like listening to Live ATC.net, and now with the IPhone app and an fm transmiter I listen to it while I'm driving by myself, (other people would think Im Nuts LOL) this past weekend I drove for four hours in my way to San Antonio while listening to the Mexico City feed, clear as a bell, dosent get any better than that.
And by the way thanks to listening live atc.net by the time I flew to mexico for the first time my aviation terminology in spanish was flawless.