The 2006 Rally of Giants was held at Castle Airport over the Memorial Day Weekend. Participants started arriving on Wednesday and by the official opening on Thursday morning there were over 100 Rvs on site. Pilots came from as far away as New Jersey and Louisiana with Colorado the Dakotas, Kansas, Idaho and Texas, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia represented along with all the District Ten States. Once again we were blessed with clear skies and cool temperatures. The welcoming breeze kept the skies clear and was always right down the runway. Speaking of runways we fly off a maintenance pad that was used for the B-52s when this was a SAC Base and it’s smooth concrete a third of a mile long and a quarter wide. We set aside a runway about 200 feet wide and 1000 long, the 186 Rvs that finally showed up all park on the other acres of the same smooth clean concrete.

Thirty six vendors were there from Airwold USA to Zurich Sunglasses. For those hunger pains you could have your choice of any kind of BBQ, Mexican, gourmet coffee or soft serve ice cream.

We had a catered dinner Saturday at the Castle Air Museum in the shadow of the B-36 and enjoyed a leisurely stroll among the fifty aircraft on display.

In the end 223 pilots and thousands of spectators enjoyed the kind of event that makes the IMAA the largest SIG of the AMA. Chip Hyde also came and put on his gravity defying demo.

I would like to thank Horizon Hobbies our major sponsor for their support in making the Rally a success and of course all the hard working members of IMAA Chapter 679, The Central California Model Flyers.

Ken Shapiro
IMAA Director District 10