Is there any correlation between the reduction in the number of news pages in FlyPast and Aeroplane and the slow demise of the forum?

It might be a free asset, but then so are all the other forums that I know of, so that is a somewhat specious argument. 

I am sure that the old forum gave as much to Key, in terms of access to authors, experts, photographs, information, contacts etc as the members received in kind from the existence of the forum. It was very much a symbiotic relationship.

With that attitude from Key, and incidentally they don’t specify whether the growth has been negative or positive, I now see no point in ever returning to this forum. 

The effective loss of this forum (in all but presence) has done immeasurable damage, both to Key’s reputation and also to the world of historic aviation, especially at a time when physical access to facilities has been stopped as a result of the Coronavirus.