Kyler Laird writes:

[...] So...what would it take to convince [paulo] to just sell
AirNav (or at least the database)?

The situation reminds me of a few other collective databases on the
Internet over the years. If my recollection is correct, CDDB, IMDB,
and a bunch of others, fell into the pattern where a vast number of
individuals built up a shared database over time. The database was of
course not considered a single individual's property - the web site
hosting was just a volunteer contribution in kind. But once
popularity hit a critical point, and money became too alluring a
possibility, the former volunteer data host suddenly claimed legal
ownership of the collected data. The raw data became an inaccessible
hostage; parts became pay services; in some cases the data was sold
off to some newly commercial enterprise.

In reaction, several projects have started again, rebuilding these
newly proprietary databases from scratch, but this time with formal
policy safeguards to keep the data as free as the original
contributors intended anyway. Many encourage anyone to download the
entire underlying database. One wonders how airnav's proprietors
would react to such a competitor.

- FChE