The Addiction: How AeroAddicts™ Was Born

My aviation addiction started long before I ever sat in a cockpit. As a kid, I watched my father build remote-control airplanes in our garage. He did most of the construction, and I did the flying—and, unfortunately, the occasional crashing. We spent years building, flying, and traveling the country to attend R/C shows. One of the absolute highlights was attending the old Byron Aviation R/C airshow, a place that felt larger than life to me. That is where the spark was ignited. (If you want to see a glimpse of what hooked me, look up the late-80s YouTube videos of large-scale R/C aircraft reenacting an attack on an aircraft carrier!)

In high school, I discovered one of my father’s old pilot logbooks buried in a drawer. He had started flight training right after high school but had to stop just before his solo flight as life got in the way. Seeing that logbook changed everything for me. It made me realize, I could do this. I could finish what he started.

After graduation, a family friend and I began flight training together. We attended ground school at a local college at night, while our flight lessons were scattered across different instructors and schedules. I didn’t understand the differences between flight schools back then—I just knew I wanted to fly. Fortunately, I learned from some incredible instructors along the way. I earned my fixed-wing private pilot certificate in the early 2000s and later added my instrument rating.

But airplanes were only half of my passion.

Another family friend owned a Rotorway helicopter and a Bonanza A36. He was always offering rides or dropping by in his helicopter, and every visit was like pouring gasoline on a fire. Over the years, he took aviation to a level I had never seen before—moving from the Rotorway to an Enstrom, then to an R44, and eventually becoming the owner and pilot of one of the most well-known TBM Avengers in the country. His journey became the exact roadmap so many of us dream of following.

I was always deeply drawn to helicopters—the complexity, the challenge, the precision. Eventually, I pushed through my doubts and started helicopter training at CIA in Mattoon, Illinois. The instruction was exceptional, and I proudly earned my helicopter private certificate.

A few months later, tragedy struck. One of my favorite instructors—someone who shaped my flying more than he ever knew—died in a helicopter crash. Losing a close friend and mentor hit hard. It deeply affected me and halted my flying for many years. I stepped away from the hobby, even though the pull of aviation never truly left me.

Nearly twenty years after earning my initial private license, something shifted. I watched a YouTuber in Texas who was building his own aircraft, and it triggered a sudden realization: I had invested too much time, training, and passion to let aviation fade away.

After a few trips to visit kit manufacturers, my amazing wife supported my dream, and we purchased a Zenith 750 SD kit right after COVID. That decision brought aviation back into my life in a way that felt entirely new, focused, and meaningful. As the airplane build neared completion, my wife once again supported me in launching the concept and buildout of AeroAddicts.

I’ve been fortunate to experience aviation from so many angles—R/C flying, fixed-wing, helicopters, homebuilding, and the incredible community that surrounds it all. Through all of these experiences, one thing became abundantly clear:

Aviation people are everywhere, but they’re hard to find if you don't know where to look.

AeroAddicts is built to bring the aviation community together in one place. Using a global map, individual profiles give you the ability to share as much or as little as you want. These settings allow people to easily connect with you or allow you to find exactly who or what you’re looking for. Whether you want to showcase your certifications, aircraft model, avionics, engine type, missions, home airport, or simply your presence as an enthusiast, AeroAddicts gives you full control over how you show up on the map.

Our goal is simple: make it easy for aviation people to find each other, support each other, and grow together.

I deeply wish my father could see what started as a remote-control obsession in our garage has become today. His passion sparked mine, and now AeroAddicts exists to help others find theirs.

If you have read this far, you have an interest in aviation too and I look forward to seeing you on the map!

Thank you,
Kent Berg