Ben Faulkner was born in Marble Hill, Georgia, in 1892. After his cousin Jimmy taught him to fly, he bought an airplane and also became barnstormer. In 1924, Ben went to work for Pitcairn Aviation near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as an instructor and pilot. When Pitcairn Aviation obtained the U. S. Air Mail contract for the Southeast, Ben became the Pitcairn station manager in Atlanta and the first manager of Candler Field, the city's airport. Ben remained with the company in various roles as Pitcairn Aviation developed into Eastern Transport and then Eastern Airlines, until 1941. In that year, the government assumed responsibility for air traffic control and Ben became Atlanta's first air controller. He retired as Chief Air Controller in 1961.

Ben, Charles "Jimmy" and Frank Faulkner were all inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame in 2003.