Tillamook Mauler status?

[p51]

Larry, I'm very happy to hear that things seem to have gone okay with you!

[tom d. friedman]

in many respects it has nicer lines & more beef than the skyraider hands down. though, I've seen some pretty incredible mauler pics w/ full ordinance capacity...... incredible!!

[CAPFlyer]

I finally got a chance to take a few pictures of the Mauler in the Madras Museum. Sorry about the delay, but I've had an interesting time since Late April when I learned that I had Intermediate Prostate Cancer. The key word here being "had". After a biopsy, I was diagnosed on 22 April. I found out the next day that the only way that the FAA would pass me on a flight physical would be if I had radical prostatectomy surgery. That took place on 8 June and was completely successful with no spread to the lymph nodes, which were also removed. I had the robotic surgery, which I highly recommend to anyone who has to endure procedure. I had only 5 small incisions parallel with my navel rather than the large incision and all that goes with it when the conventional surgery is used. At any rate, I'm healing and could probably go back to work now in a normal fire season, but I'll need more time this year. I'm not quite ready for a string of up to twelve consecutive 14 hour duty days with up to 8 hours of wrestling with a DC-7 in the smoke and 100 degree temps. Maybe later.

Larry,

First - Great to hear that you're getting healthy again and going to be able to continue doing what you love!

Second - Sad that you're missing this season. Your steed looks beautiful though in her new paint scheme. Saw sister-ship 60 in a clip with Tanker 912 (one of the DC-10s for those who aren't aware) on one of the fires in Northern California and if you didn't know better, you'd think they were new airplanes.