Two of the runways still in use are maintained by Nye County, Nevada; and World War II building foundations and three hangars of the base remain at the municipal Tonopah Airport.

[10] The 1940 Tonopah Airport Committee was formed by the community to have an airstrip built[11] and although use of the range was delayed until December 1941,[8]: 51  the Civil Aeronautics Administration sponsored 1940 construction on a new airfield financed in part by the Works Progress Administration[citation needed]—the 79th Air Base Gp (adv det) became Las Vegas Army Airfield's 1st base operating unit on 17 June 1941, and its Air Corps Gunnery School began on 16 June.

[12] The Bombing and Gunnery Range Detachment was "the first organization to arrive at what [became] the Tonopah Army Air Field" after activating "1 July 1942 at Muroc Lake, California" (the commander, Lt. Col. F.D.

)[13] Ready for occupancy in July, the airbase included runways, barracks, mess halls and a hospital when finally occupied and when opened, was a sub-base of March Field.

"[13] The first planes to arrive were Bell P-39 Airacobra training fighters and by the beginning of 1943 there were 227 officers and 1,779 enlisted men at the field (e.g., of the 75th and 390th Bombardment Squadrons.)

By October 1943, about half of the personnel were moved temporarily to Bishop Army Air Field, California, in order to provide housing at Tonopah for construction contractors on a $3,000,000 project.

In 1945, five corporals at Tonopah developed a three-story tower trainer for gunnery crews to simulated firing at four simultaneous combat movies with "electric-eye ammunition".

By September 15 just four aircraft remained at the airfield, on October 15 the 442nd AAF Base Unit was discontinued and the field was made a sub-base of Hamilton Field, California, and on October 16 the War Department requested the Nevada World War II Army Airfield be retained.

[24] In June 1947 Tonopah AAF was declared excess along with its 3 auxiliary areas (Mizpah & Butler housing terraces and Columbia Junction gasoline unloading station).