If you have alot of time to play going for rank can add an extra dimension and continuity to the gaming experience for a month. But, honestly , like Nilsen, having both played for rank and not, it can become rather tedious doing the shopping list of chores required to achieve a pretty rank month after month. In the end, for most, it's just not worth the effort. It's not that we can't get a good rank (I too got HTC to write me a check during the paid competition), it's that it's just not worth the effort and tedium of doing so.
But, that being said, I do think it would fun to expand on our stats database, Which has been, "Coming Soon" for 3+ years to include the top pilots for every plane and whatnot...