Brad's Story

About the Book

Brad's Story describes the life of Bradford Berg, who grew up in Florida. Introduced to the sky at the age of seven by a flight on a Ford Tri-Motor, he fell in love with flying. Nine years later, he earned his pilot's license. Before he could vote, Brad won the wings of an Air Force pilot. He tells of peacetime and wartime experiences on assignments in Okinawa and Korea. After the Air Force, he joined Trans World Airlines and rose to chief pilot, responsible for the Western Division. During that period, he flew in the United States, Europe and the Middle East.

When not at the controls of a 747, he was often flying one of his own planes or a glider over the deserts of California. With wife, Nell, they took motor home vacations, raced greyhound dogs and pursued a passion for golf.

At fourteen, Brad lighted a cigarette and eventually became a three-pack-a-day smoker. Warned of the risks, he responded, "it can't happen to me'.

Brad confesses to his despair at learning he had lung cancer. He describes the medical treatment. He recounts how he tried every treatment known to man, but failed to break his addiction. Then he found one that worked and he suggests that others try it.

After having part of a lung removed, Brad struggled to put his feelings on paper. Then a follow-up, medical scan revealed the cancer was back. Few people are willing to share these intimate experiences. Brad does.

About the Author

Bradford Berg, the son of newspaper publisher Royal Howard Berg, attended high school in Melbourne, on the east coast of Florida, where he was born on January 13, 1928. After one semester at the University of Florida, he switched to the Embry Riddle School of Aviation, where he became an aircraft and engine mechanic. In 1948, he entered the U.S. Air Force as an aviation cadet and won his wings. He served on the Pacific island of Okinawa and flew unarmed spotter missions in Korea during that conflict.

After his discharge from the Air Force, Berg was accepted as a co-pilot for Trans World Airlines. During three decades as a pilot, he flew nearly every airplane in the TWA lineup, from propeller-driven Constellations to 747 Jumbo jets. He retired from TWA as chief pilot in Los Angeles with responsibility for the Western Division.

For several years after his retirement from TWA, he remained active as a pilot. His recreational activities included a lifelong love of golf which he played everywhere he could from California to Florida, touring the United States in a motor home, flying his own airplanes and gliders and racing greyhound dogs. He was also addicted to cigarettes, which threatened his very existence.

With his wife, Nell, Brad settled in Wickenburg, Arizona, to write these reminiscences, then moved to Palm Desert, California, to be closer to advanced medical care.