[1][2] It is named after the Beckley family, a member of which knew the Wright Brothers, and witnessed and photographed their first flights.

In 2005, the 178th Fighter Wing lost its F-16 training mission due to the Base Realignment and Closure Act.

[12] An additional $226,000 grant that year, approved to provide greater access to drive and parking areas for facilities at the airport, funded an electric charging station and a controlled flight simulator.

[15] In 2023, new $1.2-million hangars opened and the aircraft parking ramp was expanded to accommodate the planned growth of a maintenance shop.

Planning began in 2013 in an effort to secure one of six UAS test sites created by the Federal Aviation Administration.

[3] In the year ending November 8, 2022, the airport had 32,770 aircraft operations, an average of 90 per day: 99% general aviation, <1% military, and <1% air taxi.