"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...

The web site wouldn't even exist if it weren't for the advertisements,

Neither would the AOPA site, probably.

Chalk it up as aggressive self-promotion in a world where, sometimes, that's
the only way you can get ahead. What flight school doesn't advertise, and
what advertisement doesn't spin the information to shed the best possible
light on its subject?

As a UNIX admin for a major network provider, I fight spam for a living as
part of my job, so I'm not out here making excuses for it. I think that the
articles would be interesting for beginning pilots and it's no more
commercially-oriented than the AOPA and other websites.

The subject was topical and honest (you can get articles on flying), the
website doesn't require a fee to access the articles, you're not hit with
pop-ups or other things, and the ads are just a sidebar. The only area of
concern are the tiny links that require you to register to read the
articles;
that is quite often a means of harvesting and reselling targetted e-mail
addresses. (If you register to an aviation website, your e-mail address is
valuable for mass-mailers because they know when the e-mail address was
entered--"freshness"--and they know your hobby or interest, which can be
used for a number of things.)

That's a little problematic, but, on the other hand, considering the sheer
amount of friggin' insurance policy junkmail I have to deal with from the
AOPA...


-c