Aircraft "MAINLY" use the frequency range of 108Mhz to 136 Mhz with 108 - 118 mainly used for data, therefore the main frequency range you would need is 118 - 136Mhz
If you want the full breakdown of spectrum look here:
https://www.jneuhaus.com/fccindex/aviation.html
The frequency range they mention for that receiver is actually used for Military communications
The receiver is a regenerative type so would be reasonably sensitive but not exceptional and i would suggest you have to live pretty close for the ting to work, but bearing in mind it will pick up only Military aircraft then your not actually going to hear much!
Ideally to understand how far away you can hear the signals, you should read some of the MANY pages relating to radio waves and VHF/UHF transmission and reception.
If you live in an area with flat terrain (no mountains between you and the airport) it is "possible" to hear the tower from around 20 miles or so away on a good day.
Bear in mind ALL communications originating from the ground are relatively LOW power and will only have a short range where you can hear them.
Transmissions FROM the aircraft to the tower is different due to the height of the plane.
These can be heard from Many miles away, sometimes in the range of 40 - 50 miles or even more, and they can hear and respond to the weak ground transmissions from the tower the aircraft is so high the signal travels WAY further than it does on the ground.
I suggest you do some research on how radio waves travel if you wish to understand this
however for now, just take a look at the enclosed picture which hopefully explains it extremely simply
By the way, its easier to pick up a cheap scanner for a few $ than try and build something these days
Code:
108 - 137 MHz
• Aviation [FCC RULE Part 87]
• 136-137 MHz: Space operations (space-to-Earth), meteorological-satellite service (space-to-Earth), and the space research service (space-to-Earth). Stations licensed prior to January 2, 1990 may continue to use this band on a secondary basis to aeronautical mobile service.
137 - 138 MHz
• Space operation (space-to-Earth)
• NOAA Meterological satellite (space-to-Earth)
• Space research (space-to-Earth)
• Mobile-satellite (space-to-Earth) 137.025-137.175 MHz, 137.333-137.4125 MHz, 137.475-137.525 MHz, 137.595-137.645 MHz, 137.753- 137.787 MHz and 137.825-138 MHz
225 - 243.00 MHz
• Military
243.00 MHz
• Survival craft stations, ELTs
243.00 - 328.6 MHz
• Military]
328.6 - 335.4 MHz
• Aeronautical glide path stations
335.4 - 399.9 MHz
• Military
399.9 - 400.05 MHz
• Radionavigation
• Mobile-satellite, Earth-to-space