huh? There is(was?) a web forum that charged $15/year? geez, talk
about stupid.

They don't do advertising. How else to keep the lights on? The board
is heavily moderated; real names are required and flaming isn't
permitted.

Five years ago and earlier, it was worth the expensive per hour
connect fees charged by CompuServe. There are still some advantages
over the newsgroups. There are more controllers there and lots of
airline pilots.

In my view, student pilots should not have to pay. At that level in
their training, their commitment is low and there are too many free
alternatives.