Steep Turn Quotes

“I wanted to say, 'Wait—I am not sure I want to do this—I don’t know if I am ready.' I turned my head and saw him climb onto the wing and hop down onto the pavement. He didn’t give me a chance to tell him I hadn’t decided yet whether or not I was going to solo. Didn’t he know I wasn’t a real aviator? I was only a doctor, after all, and doctors weren’t required to solo.
It was too late to tell him anything. I was going flying." (Page 199)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“We filled out emergency 'next-of-kin notification' forms and were issued metal dog tags attached to a chain to be worn around the neck. Legal officers assisted each of us in drafting a last will and testament and power of attorney." (Page 135)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“Learning to fly was next on our agenda, and I could hardly wait. - 42 - Basic flight training was conducted at NAS Saufley Field, located about ten miles north of NAS Pensacola and only five miles from our rental house. We started the third week in January. It was a crisp and clear Monday morning in the Florida Panhandle as I approached the entrance to the base for that first day of flight training. I picked up my khaki fore-and-aft cap (commonly called the “piss cutter”) from the seat next to me and placed it squarely on my head, with my lieutenant’s bars on the left and the Navy anchor insignia on the right. I steered the car with my knees as I ran my”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“One of the other interviewers, whose name I had forgotten, quickly picked up the ball and posed a question to Steve. He asked, 'Mr. Cranston, what do you think of euthanasia?' Steve got a confused look on his face and asked the doctor to repeat the question. He listened to the question again and still looked befuddled. He then, in a hesitating voice, said, 'Gosh, I never thought about it before, but I think they are probably just as nice as the youth in the United States.'
Dr. Waxman was still sitting with his head down and his hand over his eyes. At this point I could see he was shaking all over and doing his best to keep from exploding into laughter.”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“... I arrived at the Coeur d’Alene Airport at about 3:30 AM to fuel and preflight an airplane. My assignment was to land on an unimproved grass strip near Priest Lake at first morning light to pick up an armed special agent. I had to time my night departure out of Coeur d’Alene to land on the strip as early as possible, but the airstrip was unlighted, so I needed just enough natural light to see the runway. The landing area in the forest was a narrow grass strip, which had been cut out in a dense stand of Ponderosa Pine and Douglas Fir, just to the west of the central portion of Lower Priest Lake. The sun hadn’t risen when I arrived at the airstrip, but there was just enough light to pick out the narrow runway carved into the forest below and land.
It all seemed very clandestine as I bumped to a stop in the dim morning light. A shadowy figure dressed in dark-green fatigues emerged from the trees and walked quickly toward the airplane. As he got closer, I saw a holstered pistol on his belt and a gold badge on his chest. He got into the plane with the engine idling and the propeller still turning, and we took off immediately. (Page 355)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“My goal of impressing my instructor started falling apart with the checklist. I knew all the responses perfectly, but, for some reason, I started adding unnecessary words. When he called “trim tabs,” I checked the settings and responded, “Set at zero.”
He corrected me immediately and mercilessly: “What is this ‘Set at zero,’ sir? The response is ‘Zero,’ sir.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I meant zero, sir,” I respectfully responded.
His voice got louder. “And…..don’t call me sir, sir. You are the sir. I am a lieutenant junior grade; you are a full lieutenant. I call you sir, sir; you don’t call me sir. You need to learn what these rank insignias on our collars mean, sir.”
I was getting a little rattled and responded, “I’m very sorry, sir….I mean I am sorry, Mr. Bradney.”
The next item called out was “throttle.” My response was “It is closed.”
He now sounded as if he was speaking through clenched teeth. “The response, sir, is ‘closed,’ not ‘IT IS CLOSED.’ Please give me the correct response and possibly we may be able to go flying sometime today.” (Page 180)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“The demo flight changed dramatically when, seemingly out of nowhere, another T-2 jumped us from behind and we were suddenly a participant in a dog fight. I had no idea at the time that this was strictly against regulations. It was ACM (air combat maneuvers) that was taught and practiced, but to do it spontaneously like this, without a thorough briefing on the ground, was against the rules for obvious reasons. From that point on, the previous maneuvers we had been doing seemed mild. My pilot was trying to outmaneuver our pursuer to get him off our tail and turn the fight around so that he was our prey, we were on his tail, and we were in kill-shot position had this been real combat. The maneuvers were violent. I kept my knees wide apart to prevent the control stick from bruising my legs as it slammed back and forth to its full limits. My helmet clanked against the left side of the canopy and then the right side. Looking directly ahead out the windshield, I was staring straight up at the sky and the clouds, and the next moment I was looking straight down at the Gulf of Mexico. The horizon and the instruments were spinning around one direction and then the other direction. The altimeter needles were whirling around as the gauge indicated a higher and higher altitude as we climbed, and then indicated a smaller and smaller number as we plummeted toward the water below. I was spatially disoriented much of the time. There were moments when the airplane seemed completely out of control; it probably was. I could hear my pilot breathing heavily in his oxygen mask through his hot mic and cursing the other plane and its pilot. I could only see the other aircraft in a small combat rearview mirror. (Page 57)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“The Coeur d’Alene Airport was a sleepy little airfield with three paved runways laid out in a standard triangle configuration. Two small FBOs (fixed base operators) on the field rented airplanes and offered instruction. I felt a little discouraged upon seeing the dilapidated condition of the buildings at both of these businesses. It appeared they were both operating on a shoestring budget—just as Martha and I were at the time. The airport had no air terminal or commercial airline service. I was nevertheless hoping I would at least see a little airplane taxiing, taking off, or landing that day, but there was no activity whatsoever. It was exciting, though, for me to just see a number of single-engine private aircraft tied down on the tarmac as I imagined myself climbing into one, taxiing out, and taking off.”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“The Vietnam War had postponed the careers of many young male physicians of my generation. The path for my immediate future was set. It would be another three and a half years before I was released from active duty in the U.S. Navy. I would be 30 years old before I would be free to choose a specialty and apply for a residency training program. I already had a small family to support, and, if I chose that path, it would mean living in relative poverty on meager wages for several more years. I considered that a lot might happen between now and then, and, in fact, a lot more happened than I ever could have imagined. (Page 64)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“One of the plane captains came out to meet us on the flight-line and climbed up to help us both unstrap. I hadn’t gotten sick, but, when I got my feet on the ground, my knees were shaking terribly and I wasn’t sure I could walk. Both of our flight suits were soaked with sweat. The lieutenant and I stood next to the airplane for a moment and he said, “How’d you like that, Doc?” I liked it a lot, and I told him. ... Now, three years later, I was sitting in my living room in Spokane and reminiscing about that flight as I perused the materials I had received, which included the necessary applications for the program. (Page 58)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“Dr. Coulter, that last patient is really going to be a tough gallbladder to get out. Did you remember that she has had five…FIVE…previous abdominal surgeries?' He came to a screeching halt in the middle of the corridor, as if he had forgotten something and was going to turn around and go back. I stopped so suddenly with him that I almost tripped and fell on my face. We were both just standing there staring at each other. I’m sure I had a look of shock and surprise on my face, not knowing whether I had totally insulted him or what. He put his hand on my arm and looked straight at me with a little smile on his face as he said, 'Listen, Doc, we can do the tough ones too.' " (Page 51)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“Our Marine drill sergeant was the most professional looking soldier I have ever seen. His uniform was so perfectly pressed and starched that he looked like one of those full-size cardboard Marines propped up in the window of the Marine Corps Recruiting Centers. Our instructor was African-American but wasn’t the least bit intimidated by this unruly and disrespectful group of white guys. He was accustomed to training officer candidates who had no official rank, but instructing a class of commissioned officers who all out-ranked him didn’t seem to soften his techniques. He was extremely serious and barked out all of his commands, which got the attention of even the most disruptive members of our group. He knew we were all officers on paper and that his job was to make us start looking and acting like officers." (page 137)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“I was keenly aware of this growing interest in aviation within me, but I hadn’t lost focus on my goal of establishing a private practice of medicine. I reasoned that my choices had been made and my life path was now set in stone. I suspected any second thoughts creeping into my head questioning my career choice would vanish when the Navy finally released me from active duty and I would then be away from this exposure to pilots, airplanes, and astronauts." (Page 233)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“The pilot put the helicopter in a sideways crab over the bow, enabling him to see the superstructure out his right side window and maintain the same relative position to the ship as he matched its forward speed. The crew in the helicopter cabin opened the big sliding door on the right, and I swung out in the horse collar. As I was lowered to the ship, I saw hundreds of passengers lining the rails and windows on all the forward decks with cameras and binoculars trained on me. This was probably the most exciting moment of the cruise for those folks!" (Page 273)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“We had been in the air almost two hours when we got a visual on the ship. It was churning along, on a northerly course, at a good clip in heavy swells. One of the helicopter’s crewmen opened the sliding door on the right side so we could all get a good view of the vessel. We circled it three times, hoping to be able to pick a safe spot to lower me onto. Cables, booms, masts, stacks, and cranes were everywhere—from stem to stern. We cruised along at an altitude of 100 feet...." (Page 266)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“A beaten-up old sedan was parked in the drive just a few feet from the door, and the screaming woman was leaning into the vehicle’s back seat through the open rear door. When she heard the dispensary door unlatch and open, she jerked her head toward me and cried, “My daughter has been shot in the head—please save her!” The woman stepped aside and I leaned into the back seat." (Page 255)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“My eyes about popped from their sockets; I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I immediately lost all of my professionalism as Bea and I both exclaimed simultaneously, 'HOLY #@*!' The metal vaginal speculum fell from my hands and clanked onto the tile floor.
The top of an infant’s head was clearly visible with a nice crop of dark hair on the scalp..... I then had to inform her of the reality that, not only was she pregnant, she was about ready to deliver a baby and the birth would probably occur within the next few minutes." (Page 223)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“October 1973
“Hey Doc, would you mind flying straight and level for a little while? I’m not feeling too well.” This request came through the earphones of my helmet as I controlled the T-28 Trojan from the front pilot seat. I had just completed a barrel roll; it was about my twelfth one in a row as I tried to make each one a little more precise than the previous one.
This was the first thing Bob had said for some time, and I was wondering why he had become so quiet. I turned my head as far as I could to one side and was just able to catch sight of him in my peripheral vision, sitting behind me in the rear pilot’s seat. Bob’s face definitely looked a little pale and seemed to even have a slight tinge of green to it. (Page 213)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“The sober realization of being all alone by myself in the air for the first time didn’t hit me until I leveled off at pattern altitude on the downwind leg for the first touch-and-go; that was when I looked down and saw Grocci, now a small speck, 800 feet below. He was sitting in the grass next to the runway looking up at me, which caused a brief sensation of panic." (Page 201)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit

“I always knew I would have to face an occasional tragedy as a
physician. This one came early in my career and remains etched forever in my memory. Even the birth of our first child on the same day couldn’t erase it. How many such heartbreaks would I witness during a lifelong career in medicine? Would there be enough Baby Kristin success stories to provide balance?" (page 24)”
― David B. Crawley, Steep Turn: A Physician's Journey from Clinic to Cockpit