Ive been playing it too long - and you defo need loads of the Mods - especially for the enviroment and other jets. Playing SF2 without GreenHell 2 and a sky mod even after 5 years of improvements - forget it!
The majority of stuff out there can be made to work with whatever version of game you have - and when you start to change things yourself you might find out how addictive it can get!.
The constant patch thing is annoying - but usually and esentially makes the game better so its livable - but can totally understand the frustration in having to find time to update the old stuff - it really is a big commitment.
Sad to hear when people who have led the modding community for all these years decide to go their own ways - but nothing lasts foreever and we can be thankful for the many years of enjoyment we have had.
This may be a turning point where things move on - or a point where other people with the skills decide to take leading roles, or a point where things stay as they are. As long as TK is about this series has many years left yet - particularly considering its competition.