On the hills of historic Tejon Ranch, the Arvin-Sierra Glider Port hosted the West Coast Soaring Championships, and many of America’s famous glider pilots made record flights from there over the mountains and into the desert. The contests drew both pilots and the public, and the site became the most important glider port in California. When World War II shut down activity there, those star pilots became important to the war effort as pilots, scientists, engineers, and builders of advanced aircraft, creating an aerospace legacy that continues today.