Some people are just born to race.... That this could be said of Bob Hannah is a given... if not an understatement. Had Bob Hannah been conceived a twin... Doubtless, he'd have raced his sibling to be firstborn. In his evolution to air racing, Hannah raced cars, boats and very successfully, motorcycles. So successfully, he counts seven National Championships in his win column and will be inducted into the Motorsports Hall Of Fame in Novi Michigan in June 2000.

In this conversation with Bob, we endeavor to learn just what it takes to race a highly modified Gold Class airplane around the pylons at Reno... What is within a human being that allows them to place themselves in the confines of these massively powerful beasts? And "confines" is accurate here. I was given the honor of sitting in the cockpit of Lyle Shelton's Rare Bear following the event this year and damn... that is a very small space from which to control such power! Just sitting in the wounded "Bear" on the ramp at Stead.... The feeling of power is tangible ..... What must it feel like for real? Strapped into a machine named Voodoo...... Feeling every powerful pulse of the engine in front of you. Preparing to fly at an unbelievably fast pace so close to your competitors... so close to the ground, so very close to danger... Incredible levels of concentration would have to be called upon to handle such a thing....

Obviously, from the subject matter of this story, we also wanted to learn what is within a born racer, who completely loves this sport, that tells him... it is time to walk away. Just to start the engine and contemplate racing such an airplane takes levels of courage and self-confidence, far above the skill levels necessary to fly it. This is something few of us will ever understand... How could we? We will never be there. Bob Hannah has been there. He has shown all of us, his courage, his skills, his determination. Facing situations most of us would not even dream of placing ourselves in:

aafo: The sport is definitely going to miss you Bob...

"They'll have somebody else...."

aafo: Where? Who? The sport has lost two good pilots this year... One tragically... and one.......

"And the other one is going back to selling airplanes and flying Super Cub [laughs] If you want to buy one... call me [laughs] cause that's what I do."

aafo: I probably ought to learn to fly "legally" first [laughing] I've got quite a few hours and a lot of money to lay down first Bob... I do get some "right seat" stick time here and there ... but the "ticket" always seems to escape my "schedule" [laughs] This brings up a good question: Bob, how did you get started flying?

"I had always wanted to learn but never had the time…until '79 when I busted my leg up so bad, I had to take a year off of riding with Yamaha. I learned to fly and bought an airplane right away…I didn't even have a license and I bought a Comanche and started flying it around. I think in 1980 I flew about 600 hours. I couldn't ride motocross so I just flew…actually, I raced an off-road car in Class-1 too, because I could run it with a short cast on."

aafo: You were a team rider for Yamaha?

"Oh, a lot of teams... Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki."

aafo: You won the championship several times, correct?

"Seven times.."

aafo: And that was in Motorcross?

"And Supercross...."

aafo: How did you get into Air Racing?

"A buddy of mine, Bruce Lockwood got me involved. I had been flying the museum's [Santa Monica Air Museum] fighters with Bruce, when an opportunity came up to fly one of their planes for the Phoenix Air Races."

aafo: What was the first airplane you raced?

"A P-47"

aafo: You've done other types of racing....

"Boats, cars, motorcycles...."

aafo: Concentration level, how does this [Air Racing] rate? Compared to the other types of motor racing you've done... It's got to be more...

"Yea... it's more... no doubt about it. It's like going into the first corner in a champ boat race, at about 130 with 15 or 20 other guys, for the whole race! There's a lot of crap going on in the plane...and it's not forgiving. You make a mistake and your gonna die or kill somebody else! Now, that's talking the four fastest airplanes out there in the gold. For me…to go around in a stocker I could drink an iced tea and do it. Now obviously YOU may not…everybody has a different skill level. Mario Andretti might drive an indy car around Indy at 240 and be just fine, whereas at 200 I may be scared.... It's a level you get to...Tiger can probably drive around there at 460 with an iced tea in his hand.... I personally can't! I have to be thinking about what I'm doing. I think about it before I go there...every day. What I'm gonna do when it quits…exactly what I'm gonna do…and it gets me through it. I don't go there thinking I'm the best pilot there...I go there thinking I'm the crappiest pilot there! And I want to be alive for beer call on Sunday night! Winning's not my only goal…if it wins, that's fine... I've won a lot of races and I know counting chickens before they hatch does not work. I go there… see how it flies …concentrate on getting the plane back to the ground every flight…and play it from there."

aafo: How many years did you race airplanes?

"Five"

"You need to! Those who don't are asking for trouble."

aafo: You've had that skill and preparation checked over the last few years!

"Yea... it keeps checking me! Actually, the maydays, I don't mind [laughing]…as long as parts don't start flying off the plane…I actually enjoy that part. It's kind of sick really [chuckles]…because it kind of thrills ya. It really thrills the crap out of you to have one just go to hell and then you have to get it back to the ground... I hate to say that.... I don't know if everybody would like it or not... I never knew if I would. I always wondered if I had the gumption to do it...but I knew I was going to find out... so I better think about it and I better learn and listen to everybody. I talked to a lot of pilots about it. After the first time I did it,I thought, well, you've got one out of the way… and then I did it quite a few times…but when things are breaking off the plane…I don't like that…I can't do anything about that."

aafo: Well last year [1998] had to have gotten your attention!

"Yea...because I couldn't do anything about it. When it quits, or when the prop runs away…all that's exciting, really [laughs] Actually it's awfully exciting."

aafo: You looked pretty excited after the incident on Monday [prop runaway 1999]

"Crap…it was a wild ride! That's definitely an -E ticket- deal there! Where it got me was when I was pulling it uphill…I just pulled it straight uphill…I thought, I've got to slow this propeller down! What I was thinking about was not the ride in and getting it back…I figured this is going to be fun and exciting getting it back in…but again there…I thought the plane was going to fall apart. I thought the prop was going to come off. It wound up and I've never heard a noise like that."

aafo: It didn't sound good from the ground either!

"In the cockpit, it wasn't really very fun! And once I got the thing to about 200…and I don't know how high it was…it didn't go very high…I really don't know how high it was…I would gather it didn't go above 2000 feet I'd imagine."

aafo: From our viewpoint, you didn't get very high! Then you turned around and appeared to barely make the runway...

"I barely made it is right! I had at least 10 feet... I had enough.... I didn't throw the gear down until...when I threw the gear down, I thought it was going to snap! I thought I wanted it very very low, because when I threw the gear down I thought I was going to lose control of it.... I didn't know how much drag it was going to make...and that initial drag…I didn't know what it was going to do to the airplane."

aafo: So you were pretty slow when you dropped the gear?

"Oh... Hell yea!! I pinched it to the runway…and when I threw the gear down…the way I remember it…I threw it down not knowing if it was going to get down before it touched down. And then…as soon as I threw the gear down, I was going to have to pull on it a little bit because I wasn't lined up with the runway right. I was going to have to just land it on one wheel and turn it... I knew I was going to have to pull on it a little. As soon as I threw the gear and started pulling on it, the stick started shaking, so the airplane had, had it! As soon as I did that, I threw the flaps…full flaps…and they just started coming out…and it went "bomp" on one wheel..... "

aafo: It was that close....

"Oh yea! It was going to snap... it was all done flying! It was GEAR, STICK SHAKE, FLAPS, BOOM! I'm sure the flaps weren't down... "

aafo: Last year, right after you and Sherman had the double mayday... We talked with Sherman. He said "that's what I like about this sport.. Pure adrenaline and motor skills, all at warp speed" Your comment earlier about "liking" the excitement of the mayday's seems to not be exclusive... Sherman had a very "alive" look about him right after the incident....

"You do feel good right after. You know what you feel like…what I feel like, in the cockpit? Very very hot…I noticed…and when the thing stopped.... when the thing finally rolls over to a stop.... I'm actually...as Art Vance says…very talkative on the way down. I'm pushing the button a lot going, "oh shit, this is a wild ride!" I was going to tell Button and the crew on the way up, "this isn't your average [expletive deleted] mayday!", but I had the wrong mike keyed, so I told the whole world! [laughs] On the way up I knew I had some big problems... I said, "I got a big mayday here... this is a big stinkin mayday!" But when I was finally rolling down the runway... I noticed I was breathing rather rapidly. You notice you are really warm…I mean I was really warm…like you're sitting there in a hot tub! I was totally relaxed. If everybody would have left me alone… I felt like I had a concussion…I've had a few of them, and when you get one, you don't want to be bothered, you want to go to sleep...and I felt like if nobody bothered me, I could fall asleep right in the cockpit for an hour or two…and just sleep… I mean I was frazzled..."

aafo: Your mind has to be working at an incredibly fast speed!

"Yup...your burning some oxygen and it's kind of a funny feeling...it's an awesome feeling, really..."

aafo: Your reactions seem well honed, how much time do you have in the Mustang?

"I feel flying those racers…it is not quantity of hours that gets you in one of those things and saves your ass…it's quality of time. Practice is what you really need to do. You can have 40,000 hours and not be qualified to fly in a race."

aafo: We've heard it said that Tiger [Destefani] does not have a really high amount of hours in Mustangs. He flies the course in his mind all the time, keeps current in the Mustang and it seems to work well for him.

"It helps to fly the course in your mind…think about when it's mayday[ing]. I mayday'd the thing in my mind many times before this years race…I put the prop flat, I put the prop in working order, I put oil on the window…I do all sorts of things. I move my hands through the maneuver's…just run through it all in my mind with a different scenario every time. When the thing goes…I don't think twice. When that thing went away [this year], it was instantaneous. I knew exactly where I was going...I did almost change my mind…to which runway..at the last second...and...probably should have. I'm almost positive I should have…but I had to make the decision in less than a second. I probably should have gone into 18 instead of 14. I already had it in my mind for 14…and thought it would make it…and that was it. I stuck my head out of the canopy…I had oil on the canopy and it shot oil in my face…and I just went for the one I'd already planned for."

aafo: Well it worked... close but it did work!

"I think I would have done better on the other one…but it doesn't really matter now. But you need to know that stuff in advance, and the guy that doesn't think it's gonna happen, the guy that doesn't think about it, is a fool...when it catches him with his pants down... The dangerous thing about this is not making the decision - not making the decision to land it when you first have a problem. You think... ahh, it's not that bad…is it quitting…or is it a mag...or just some plugs? Or just a piston...or what!? Is it going to run to the runway? If you start thinking about all that stuff... then you get caught behind the 8 ball! What was lucky for me there…I didn't have to make any decisions that particular mayday. It was going to go up…and go down…and all I had to do is just pick a runway… and fly. That really saved me from any decision making. Now last year… [1998] on the Monday it started on fire…in that instance…you could rush it. You could rush it and I did rush it. I did about the same thing as I did this year…I went from 410-420 [mph] - which was what I was doing…and landed on a runway in one straightaway…and that's almost impossible you know. I went straight up…straight down…and landed. And if you rush that and botch it…and break the airplane…and it really wasn't on fire bad enough to burn you…then you've made a mistake. But then again, if it is on fire bad enough…and you stay up there and burn yourself or crash…well, you should have landed.. What are you gonna do? You gotta make a decision. This year I didn't have to make a decision. It was shut off within 2 seconds…and fly it as straight up as you can…and straight back down. Each one [mayday] makes me better. After each one I have more confidence. You need to be aware that you are going to have them…and be aware every flight…you probably will have them…and if you don't have them...then that's fine! Last year I went out there thinking it would be a routine flight at 100 inches…no 100 inch flight is a routine flight! And at Reno…you basically just don't consider any flight a routine flight…and if they [race pilots] think that way, then they'll live a lot longer…that's if you're flying a stocker or Tiger's [Strega]."

[laughs] "Yea he's right! After about 450 miles an hour, it's a pretty wild ride...."

aafo: At those speeds and proximity to the ground you would have to be totally focused... "race-mode"…another realm in your mind?

"Oh yea!"

aafo: Totally focused, nothing else on your mind?

"Nothing! No, no, no! When I'm flying…I don't get in that thing unless I'm totally focused! Once I'm sitting in there…once I start the engine…I DO NOT think about anything! ANYTHING! I won't allow it... only the plane, the vibration, the gauges.... what I'm doing…not making mistakes, not forgetting to check this or that...no, no, no. Until the motor shuts down…not even on the taxi…not even on the taxi in…until the motor shuts down and spools down...then you go, "ok, what else am I thinking about now?" Ya just don't do it or you'll make a mistake."

aafo: Is that part of what you liked about racing then?

"Yes, absolutely. It's nice to be that focused occasionally… 'cuz I'm usually not THAT focused! [laughs] I like racing anything anyway…I like flying anything…I LIKE flying! I like flying the piss out of that plane, personally! I like just to floor it and drive it till it blows up! [laughing]…and it is fun to do that! [still laughing]…and I had the OK to do that! Ya know, it's nice to have the OK! I can't take my Yak out and do that, 'cuz I don't wanna buy a new engine! And Button…he just says 'floor it if you want…floor it…floor it!' [STILL laughing] Button is the "floor it" man! He doesn't care! He'll buy a new engine!"

aafo: He wanted to win....

"Oh yea...."

aafo: He still wants to win...

"Yea... there's something about him at Reno that you gotta like!! [laughs] He says, "floor it"...and it's fun to floor one of those and really hang on…because you ARE hanging on! You're about a half a pylon behind it [laughing] and you're trying to catch up! You feel like your feet are flying behind the airplane and you're hanging on to the stick [laughing] It's wild…it is fun and I'll definitely miss some of that! Button gave me an incredible opportunity and I'll be forever grateful…but there are a lot of things I won't miss. I have to think about all of it...I can't just go 'oh man I like that thrill… I'll put up with it'…I just can't do that....."

aafo: Bob, you had a rough start this year [1999]... The week began with high expectations by all. The airplane had been worked over…you had a good crew in place… you were pumped. Then the prop problem on Monday during practice for qualifying..... What were your feelings on having a chance to get the airplane into the show at that point......

"We were going to qualify it a lap later [before the governor failure]…which would have been nice! Our chances…slim and none. We got behind…and we were behind all week after that...and really, that's not the way to fly those airplanes, 'cuz you're just asking for more trouble. You need to go there fully prepared and stay that way…if it doesn't go that way…aah…you can still come from behind…but you're just asking for trouble…like we did all week."

aafo: One of the most amazing things at Reno this year was the effort by your team to get Voodoo flying again and into the show. First the engine destroyed by the runaway prop, which you were able to replace…then the prop itself [later found to be damaged as well] and the loan of a replacement by the Mormon Mustang team. Just a spectacular effort…one the fans appreciated immensely.

"Button bought their [Dago Red] backup engine…and Gene Millet flew the Mormon Mustang in from Salt Lake and let us borrow the prop…we barely got it in there. Gene Millet is the owner of the Mormon Mustang."

aafo: Your qualifying effort in the final minutes of the last day of qualifications was simply the most dramatic moment in this sport for many years... Just how close was it?

"We were at 43 seconds! We had 43 seconds left when we were done actually... "

aafo: Not only did the Voodoo team put in the effort, it seemed everyone was in your pit. The amount of help given racers by other teams is one of the great stories of Reno...

"Yes...We borrowed Gene's prop…but then we had to give it back to him so he could get home. Then we borrowed a prop from Danny Martin…which the plane didn't like much.. I don't understand what was going on…a little out of balance or something. They balanced it and it was a little better. We probably should have switched mags from the old engine to the new engine…but we didn't. I think we had a mag goin' bad from the get go…really. We were behind schedule the whole time from then on. As soon as we got the engine on and the prop on…we went out in the morning and covered it [the airplane] with oil. I had to open the canopy to see…and it pumped 5 or 6 gallons of oil in cockpit."

aafo: What happened there?

"Below the prop governor…the pad down there blew the gasket out again…different engine…but same typical problem. It was a land immediately type a deal."

aafo: Your 401.035 MPH would have had you solidly in first place in Thursday's heat race.. Race officials moved you to last place for breaking the deadline. After the effort to get the airplane racing again, this had to be a great frustration. What were you feeling at that moment?

"It was my own fault…I guess I did it by 5 feet or something…I heard. I guess they're better at looking at that than I am. There were a lot of people in there [other race planes] and I could have held it tight to Hoot Gibson…but I didn't. I didn't think I needed to…but they got pissy with me thinking that once I went over the deadline, I flew all the way down the deadline. They thought I was being a smart-ass or something…but if I went over it…I didn't realize I went over it…and why would I pull back into traffic anyway? Even if I knew I was over it…I wouldn't pull back in anyway. If I was over it, I wouldn't pull back in because it would be dangerous...but that's the rule…I broke it and I don't care about the penalty."

aafo: Friday your speed was down considerably [379.320] what was going on with Voodoo at this point? Was this "sandbagging" only flying the airplane as fast as you needed to win the race?

"We didn't want to run it any harder than we had to.... "

aafo: You'd qualified with the Mormon Mustang prop.... then changed again to Dan Martin's prop. Was this the prop installed on Voodoo for the Friday heat?

"Danny Martin's prop... the whole time except for qualifying."

aafo: Was this a stock prop?

"Yea..."

aafo: You were pulling some pretty good speed out of a stock prop…was the Dago spare a "go home" engine?

"Not really a go home engine…it's a good engine…not a Dwight Thorne engine, but it was a good [Mike] Nixon motor…and it was a good Dago Red motor before he got his Thorne engine. Far from a "go home" engine. It was the best Dago Red engine they ever had…until they got that Allison rod, Dwight Thorne engine...."

aafo: What happened Saturday with the no start?

"Ya' know... I think it's the day we had the oil problem and we couldn't get it fixed fast enough. We thought we had it fixed…we went out and ran it…to cowl it up and get it ready for the race…and it wasn't fixed. So they had to work on that…seal that up before we ran it."

aafo: This led to the confusion by the Air Race Committee - whether or not you were to race on Sunday... first you were.. then you were not...then you did enter the silver race, ultimately winning it. Was there further confusion after the race?

"I believe we were supposed to run the Bronze because of the "no start"… but Rare Bear went out. Now this is the way I understand it... they bump a guy from each class up - bump Howard to the Gold…and they're gonna bump somebody out of the Bronze to the Silver. Nobody wants out of the Bronze to the Silver…they elect to bump me out…who's they…I don't know. Don't run the bronze…run the Silver - I just do what I'm told. Hence…we go to the silver race…we start the engine…Tom Camp comes running over there....says, " shut it down, you're not going". Who sent him...I don't know…I'm sitting in the cockpit...I don't need to know any of that."

aafo: You're in race mode....

"Trying to be…ya' know?!"

aafo: So you have no idea of what is happening at this point.....

"All I know is I see him [Camp] run up to Button and tell him to shut it off…so I leave it running thinking they're going to get it straightened out. Well, somebody gets it straightened out and they say, "yea run it…you're all right.... run the Silver"…so I taxi out. Long story short…the pace plane comes by…everybody's thumbs up…right then they call me and say, "5 you're out you're disqualified for the weekend." Well, obviously I'm not too happy...I'm tired of it at this point and taxi back in. There was some other crap they were saying on the radio…but by now…I'm not listening to what anybody said. I get back to the pits and they say, "5, your back in the race…go back out!" If it'd been my plane, right then I would have taxied it in and parked it, because by that time, I'd just had it…I didn't want to fly it…I was done. It's not my airplane…so basically I need to go out there and fly it…I go back out there and fly it. After the race, we go a little round and around with the contest committee… and then they decide they're gonna let me in the Gold... THEN we have a dead mag! Long story short…we run the gold…can't hardly get it off the runway…nor can we get it in the join-up..nor can it run…by this time, I'm NOT having ANY FUN…and that's the story why I'm not going back. If it's not fun…. I do if for fun, I don't do it for money…I don't get paid. Obviously I shouldn't do it…I do it for fun and there's too many little things in there taking the fun out of it… and it's just not worth it. I loved it, believe me, the whole time I did it…but this year was just a pain in the neck."

"Yea.. it did me too. I don't want to see Lockwood or someone I know go in. I didn't even know him [Levitz]…I don't want to see someone I know do it. I don't want someone I know, watch me do it! I don't even like hearing about it and watching it is another thing. Watching a guy that I know is yet another thing! Another buddy crashed and killed himself in Idaho on the same day Gary was killed…I heard that right before I was flying. After the Silver on Saturday…I was whipped man. I'm talking to those contest guys on Sunday…I had tears in my eyes…I could not get my breath! I couldn't get my breath.... I don't know if I ever felt like that…and here we are talking about piddly stuff! Talking about stuff that doesn't even need to be talked about."

aafo: I guess with what you've mentioned about the concentration levels needed by a pilot about to face the challenges of running the course at the speeds and heights you are running and the pressures you are under at those critical moments........ Maybe what can and can't be discussed with a pilot just prior to launch should be an item to be discussed by the race committee....

"Yep... they do…but what happened [Sunday] was emotions that got out of control by everyone! Nobody was to blame for anything. I have no grievances with the Committee or anyone else. Sunday was a TERRIBLE day for everybody because of Gary's accident.... nobody should be held accountable for anything. There was incredible confusion, that ended up not being handled appropriately and I lost it. After Art [Vance] got it squared away after the races...it was dropped. I've got no hard feelings against anybody. I loved racing the airplanes. The decision to not race any more was a hard one…one of the hardest things I've ever had to do…but it was just time for me to get out. There were other things as well….my family, friends…….MY DOGS!" [laughs]

aafo: Your decision to leave has opened up a seat in a very major Gold contender... Someone else is going to have to step into your shoes... With all the problems you have had with Voodoo over the years, some might conclude this is a "jinxed" airplane.....

"I don't believe that bullshit. I'm not a superstitious character…if it had a jinx behind it… when the prop went away, it would have went away 15 minutes earlier and killed me! It went away with an airport right under it."

aafo: If you look at it that way, I suppose the trim tab incident in '98 was pretty lucky as well then...

"That would have killed me too! Actually, it's got a good karma, otherwise it would have killed me. [laughing] Matt Jackson will fly the plane now…he's very lucky…and he'll do a great job! It's really ready to win. That was a damn shame this year [1999]…that it had an oil line problem…or they would have seen something out of that airplane. Last year too... I know we'd have won it last year... absolutely! This year I know we'd have been right in there too. It's ready to win!"

aafo: Going back to the '98 incident... We've been told that the tab that broke on Voodoo was one of the old "phenolic" tabs. I've seen a 1945 US Army Air Corps tech order calling for the removal and replacement of that type of tab. Actually this would be a story in itself [are there still tabs of this sort out there in service and are they safe?]

"Yea... but that wasn't the root of the problem..."

aafo: We've heard that the airplane was fairly well out of rig, causing the high trim tab settings?

"Kerchenfaut rigged it and it flew perfect after that... Kerch Is SMART [laughing]…and he made it fly GOOD! We basically got down to...it probably wasn't the strakes, but we yanked them too... but it basically got down to flap rigging…they were way too high. As soon as the flaps were put at the right spot…the plane flew zero trim and perfect. The plane flies like a dream right now. There's nothing wrong with that plane…it flies unblievelaby good. I've flown Dago too, there's not much difference."

aafo:You've definitely got racing in your blood... what are you going to race next?

"Nothing."

aafo: How bout a Super Cub racing class [laughing]

[laughs] "No, no racing anymore I guess..... no. Yea, I'll miss Reno...."

aafo: Bob, I know this was a really tough decision for you and you have a lot of responsibilities to a lot of friends and family that came into play in your making it... I almost hate to ask this next question... If I came back in 6 months and asked you the same question... Will you change your mind?

"Ya never know....... "

At this point in the conversation we asked Bob about the Dominique Thirot photo used in the title graphic of this article.... the exchange was so much fun, we asked for permission to include it in the interview.

aafo: There are a couple of photos taken of you in the airplane this year that are fantastic.... One we used on the original announcement of your leaving the sport...

"Did You shoot that?"

aafo: No.. I wish I had!

"Who shot it?"

aafo: Dominique Thirot from France....

"Can I get one of those? I don't even have any of me in that airplane when it's painted like that... I saw the picture, it must have been taken when I was going home on Monday. I didn't have any glasses on in it did I? And I flew in glasses the whole time I was there."

aafo: Oh? For vision?

>"Yeah, magnifiers, I wanna see about 20 -10 out there...."

aafo: No kidding....

"Uh huh... cause you get a little oil on that window and you can't find the pylons... [with the glasses] I could see a hawk takin' a shit on the pylons!"

aafo: <rolling on the floor laughing> Bob...it's been a delight talking with you! Thank you for sharing your time and your career with all of us race fans!

Throughout this interview Hannah mentioned how much he appreciated the fan support he has enjoyed during his career, we know he will be missed by thousands of racing fans across several types of motor racing!

Interview conducted by: Wayne Sagar

Special thanks to Bob and Terri Hannah for their help in the production of this interview!