FLYER does not get bashed. TP does not get bashed.
I think Flyer does get bashed - it's just slightly more subtle, because you tend to hear people saying "...at least it has John F...". The implicit statement here is that without John F it's got b*gger all else at times.
The other reason people bash Pilot is that it used to be really good and has declined. I'd guess most people who have read it for more than a couple of years still expect better.
Being involved in the magazine world I know that a magazine editor and publisher lives by his last circulation figures. Circulation going down when competitor circulation is increasing usually means reaching for the C/V. Circulation increasing usually means a bonus.
And this is an interesting point. How are you supposed to grow circulation when the number of pilots in this country is decreasing? You can target non-pilots, but that's going to dilute the content for your original audience.