In article ,
A Guy Called Tyketto wrote:

If at all possible, when it comes to being on the plane and
wanting to listen in on pilot/ATC chatter, fly UAL proper (nothing
operating as UAX). Ask the pilot to turn on Ch. 9, plug in your
headphones to that, and you're set for the entire flight.

I rode on a Jetstream a few years back, front row from Raleigh, NC (RDU)
to Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (GSP). When we landed, I talked to the
pilots for a minute, and they showed me the extra headset they would
have offered if they had known I was a pilot. On the way home, my seat
was near the back, of course. I'm still kicking myself.