Do I need a tripod for planespotting?

I have a Nikon D60 with a 55-200mm AF-S VR lens. Do I need a tripod? If it matters, I will be spotting at KBOS -- 4R and 4L.

When shooting at 200mm or longer focal lengths it is common to use a tripod or monopod to reduce motion blur. You often see monopods used by sports photographers at the side of the field, as they are easier to "steer" then a tripod.

If they fly close enough you will need a fast shutter speed, if far you'll get just a spot; in both cases a tripod is not useful
If quiet on land, you have a shutter margin and then perhaps can help you

In the early days of photography cameras used film and early films were slow. Slow film means long exposure times and this translates to subject blur i.e. The camera movement or subject moved during the exposure caused the subject to record with smudges. Modern films and digital cameras use highly sensitive films or digital sensor chips. Thus fast shutter speeds can be used to mitigate both motion blurs.

Now as to camera shake, the focal length of the camera lens plays a key part. As a general rule of thumb the slowest shutter speed that can safely be used without tripod is found by adding the prefix "1/" to the focal length of the lens being used. Thus if your zoom is set to 200mm you determine the minimum shutter speed to be 1/200 of a second. This method mitigates handshake blur.

Now even better news. Your lens is labeled VR (vibration reduction). This lens has a modern internal mechanism that mitigates camera motion. You paid for this feature. It will allow you to handhold at slower shutter speeds while it compensates for you handshake. You can safely shoot at 1/100 of a second with the zoom set to 200mm.

This mechanism will handle handshake but not subject motion. You need to use fast shutter speeds for fast moving objects like airplanes. Don't forget, you can shoot fast moving subjects by panning. This is a technique whereby you aim the camera at the subject following its movement as it travels keeping the subject centered in the viewfinder. You tack the subject and press the shutter button while the camera is in motion. Panning arrests subject motion however stationary objects in background will be blurred. This gives a heightened illusion that the subject is moving at high speed.