I'd have a few suggestions, problem is they might not be popular and I'm sure within 10 mins of posting this I'll be hated by many but whatever there just suggestions.
1. Banner ads that promote the game. If FL had more exposure more people would play, simple. The only reason I found this game is because I used to play X3, but the game got so complex that my comp just wouldn't handle it anymore. So I searched for another space sim that took less resources to play. I doubt many people would come to FL for the same reasons.
2. Get the rights for FL from Microsoft. Unless its open source now, I don't know. But they cant possibly be making any money off it. If they could be convinced to just give it away, that would open up a whole new world of possibilities for the game.
3.Ad's on the forums. I hate ad's just as much as you. But if the revenue generated meant that the game improves and expands then I doubt players who use the forums would mind just clicking one or 2 a day to make a few shekels for the community.
4. More mysteries in game. I mean seriously, all you have to do is look at the wiki or download FL Companion or something and bam! you now know everything there is to know in the universe. I'm not thinking of anything major but why not have like a seige week where all of a sudden theirs enemy ships spawning in New York or New London or somthing (only for a few days ) or announce that a new JH was found to earth in some 'impossible' to find location and we all go looking for it. Just suggestions here, but my point is to keep people engaged in the long term FL needs to shake things up more than once every two years with a new mod. If your not in one of the more interesting factions this game can get stale very quickly, and I have personally brought people in my own real life in, only to have them quit after a month because their bored.
Anyways fell free to tear my ideas apart all you wish. I can only say that I'm doing my best to add a positive contribution to the community. And there's many who will read this who can't honestly say that.