Been here for 22 years since campaign 1 of the original Amiga/Mac Air Warrior. (Yes I know HTC didn't develop AW but several HT'ers did play it as I remember flying with them, and everything that I've play since then, i.e. Confirmed Kill, Warbirds, and AH were developed by HTC.)
I stay because a) I have no life and b) I no longer buy or play boxed PC games because of paranoia of the intrusive DRM included with them.
I don't really think the community has changed a whole lot over the years; it's just bigger. Bad things happen now but bad things happened 22 years ago (like people taking fully manned bombers to enemy fields, taking out the ack, landing, and taxiing around vultching people with the gunners).
What has changed, perhaps, is my tolerance towards the community. After 22 years you grow just a smidge tired of, for example, people giving "Alt-F4" as the answer to every newbies question. Oh, and one other thing I'm really tired of is the same old terrain texture tiles over and over and over. But then HTC have said they wish to do a terrain overhaul so I'll stay and wait.