The reason is that Hacker News doesn't have an editor, and no formal editorial voice. Instead, HN crowdsources what would be the editor's duties at a traditiona

The reason is that Hacker News doesn't have an editor, and no formal editorial voice. Instead, HN crowdsources what would be the editor's duties at a traditional publication, to whoever is reading HN at any given moment. So, right at this moment, the majority of HN readers are into aviation. The result of this editorial crowdsourcing is something like talking to someone with a personality disorder, as the "tone" of the site shifts without warning. So today we're seeing lots of enthusiasm for aviation stories, but we could see the exact opposite in the near future. (If you're interested in the dynamics of online communities, have a look at Clay Shirky's writing, in particular "A group is its own worst enemy" (2003) http://www.shirky.com/writings/group_enemy.html http://www.shirky.com/writings/group_enemy.html)