On December 18, 1931, an international soaring record was established here when William A. Cocke Jr. remained aloft in a glider called the Nighthawk for 21 hours 34 minutes, setting a new U.S. and world endurance record for motorless flight. Cocke’s Nighthawk launched from the John Galt Gliderport, located a short distance northeast, and during the night the U.S. Army’s 64th Coast Artillery Battery illuminated the path along the cliff face for Cocke and his glider. The flight was made possible with help from people of Hawaii and inspired thousands of glider pilots.