To see our newest additions to the gallery (Click Here) 

 "THE GREAT WHITE HOPE" will make it's return to the
National Championship Air Races for 2006

     Button's Voodoo Race # 5 was grounded in 2005 due to valve guide problem and for this year every attempt is being made to prepare a race motor.
     The Green Hulk was built by Mike Barrow AKA Sparrow with a Jack Roush Allison rod case modification the same as Bill Destefini uses in Strega, Race # 7. In 2005 Strega was plagued with bearing problems and grounded. This year both Voodoo and Strega were to have new race engines for Reno using the Jack Roush modified Allison rod engine case with two piece bearings. The bearing problems that plagued Strega in 2005 rearing its ugly head and the new engines cases having the same problem. This brought about a search for a compatible engine case that would accept the Allison rod package in time to race in some 50 days from now. Button had the retired -7 engine case used in Voodoo in 1995. “The Great White Hope” named by Chuck Hall and Dwight Thorn
  
   "The Great White Hope" or TGWH engine case was named because it was painted all white and there was a movie at that time with that name. “TGWH” was the first Allison rodded Merlin engine developed by Dwight Thorn for Chuck Hall in 1978. Note: Chuck Hall raced the engine in the early 1980’s in Bruce Ellis’ Section 8.The engine was sold to Bill Spears in the mid 80’s and was raced in Pegasus (now Voodoo). Bob Button bought Pegasus/Voodoo in 1994 and removed the motor after the Reno race in 1995.
     TGWH engine case has been built up with the new parts from the Green Hulk and will make its return to the National Championship Air Races for 2006. TGWH was run on a test stand in Ione by Jack Hovey and check out at 98 inches and 3400 rpm. At this time it is being installed into Voodoo and will be test flown on Thursday August 31, 2006 by Matt Jackson. At the same time Voodoo is getting a new weight and balance along with re-rigging because of the removal of all the filler on the bottom of the wings. The last modification before Reno will be the installation of a telemetry system.
     On a personal side Bob Button has a new matching flight suit to go with the colors of Voodoo. This should prove to be an exciting year for Button and Voodoo!



PS: During a lunch in San Francisco Button was overheard saying we might even put the turtle deck back on in the future.