I've had great fun here, too.
I'm not sure why it is a lot more popular than the previous Combat Theater was. Perhaps it's that there is an ongoing theme and rolling plane set. Whatever the reason, it works, and it's fairly popular.
I flew a little in the old Combat Theater, but when participation dropped off to single digits, I stopped going there. Axis vs. Allies seems to have more people in it usually.
Anyway, again, it is a blast, and congratulations to the folks behind it.