Gold Hill Airpark History
Gold Hill Airport began as a commercial aviation facility, complete with a main hangar, maintenance shop, flight school operations, and on-site fuel services.
Founder: John Paul “JP” Fine — a talented pilot, engineer, and visionary — designed and built much of the airport’s original infrastructure. His concept blended commercial aviation with residential development, envisioning a community where pilots could live alongside their aircraft and taxi directly from home hangars to the runway.
JP Fine personally oversaw the installation of the power, water, and wastewater systems, applying engineering expertise that contractors later described as “first-class, professional-grade installation.”
The airport’s first runway measured approximately 2,600 feet of grass, providing ample space for small general aviation aircraft such as Cessnas, Grummans, and Navions. Its location offered ideal flat terrain and easy access from Old Beatty Ford Road, laying the groundwork for what would eventually evolve into Gold Hill Airpark — a pioneering residential airpark community.
In 1986, J.P. Fine began actively promoting Gold Hill Airpark as a unique residential aviation community, targeting pilots who dreamed of living alongside a runway. Advertisements appeared in Trade-A-Plane and various local aviation newsletters, describing the airpark as a “fly-in pilot’s retreat” — a place where homeowners could taxi their aircraft directly from their hangars to the runway. This vision attracted a small but enthusiastic group of prospective buyers, who began visiting the property to inspect lots and evaluate the feasibility of building homes with attached hangars.
One of the first couples to express interest attempted to build the community’s inaugural home, but their plans were quickly thwarted when the state denied their septic permit, citing that the local soil conditions and percolation rates were inadequate for individual septic systems. This unexpected regulatory challenge forced Fine to rethink his development model entirely.
To address the issue, Fine engaged an engineering consultant to design and install a centralized wastewater treatment system, including underground piping and a settling pond. While this solution solved the technical problem, it introduced new financial and administrative complications.
The project’s unexpected cost placed a significant strain on Fine’s finances, initiating a cycle of debt that would follow the development into the early 1990s. This period marked a pivotal moment in the airpark’s history — the first major infrastructure challenge that would shape both its physical layout and the governance structure that eventually evolved into the homeowners association.
In late 1987 and early 1988, Gold Hill Airpark welcomed its first permanent residents, among them Larry Murphy, a retired U.S. Navy officer and pilot. Murphy purchased a lot directly from J.P. Fine and began construction of both his home and hangar shortly after his retirement in 1988. Murphy would later become a pivotal figure in preserving the airpark, ultimately acquiring it from Fine during the financial difficulties that led to bankruptcy in the early 1990s.
At the time, the airpark was still in a nascent stage of development. The runway was still a 2,600-foot grass strip, adequate for small aircraft but lacking paving or formal lighting. Roads were only partially paved, with some access drives remaining gravel or dirt. There was no formal homeowners association, as Fine personally oversaw operations, billing, and management.
Despite these limitations, the airpark attracted a small but dedicated group of aviation enthusiasts, including pilots, mechanics, and hobbyists. These early residents cultivated a strong sense of community, collaborating on essential projects such as grading taxiways, maintaining the grass runway, and installing basic lighting.
This period laid the foundation for Gold Hill Airpark’s evolution into a fly-in residential community, with Murphy’s home serving as the first anchor of permanent settlement and foreshadowing his later leadership in securing the airpark’s long-term future.
By mid-to-late 1989, Gold Hill Airpark was experiencing growth, with several homes under construction and increasing air traffic from the small but dedicated aviation community.
Recognizing the need for improved infrastructure, J.P. Fine initiated a major upgrade of the grass runway. His plans included extending the strip from 2,600 to approximately 3,000 feet, paving it with asphalt to ensure year-round usability, and enhancing grading and drainage to prevent flooding in the low-lying terrain. Due to budget limitations, the work was executed in phases with local contractors, demonstrating Fine’s hands-on approach and commitment to the airpark’s operational future.
This period of improvement was abruptly disrupted on September 22, 1989, when Hurricane Hugo struck the Carolinas, bringing devastating winds, widespread power outages, and heavy rain. Gold Hill Airpark suffered 17½ days without power, with trees downed, structural damage to multiple homes, including the collapse of the Millers’ garage, and temporary flooding that rendered the runway unusable.
Throughout the disaster, Fine resided in the main hangar and took immediate action to maintain basic services. Using his generator to power the water system, he ensured residents could still bathe and shower, fostering a strong sense of community resilience and cooperation during the emergency.
Despite these challenges, the runway paving was completed shortly after Hugo, transforming the strip into a durable, all-weather surface and marking one of the most significant infrastructure improvements of the late 1980s. However, the combined financial strain from the hurricane recovery and prior development costs accelerated Fine’s fiscal decline, setting the stage for the bankruptcy and eventual transfer of the airpark in the early 1990s.
By 1990, J.P. Fine faced a convergence of financial pressures that would ultimately lead to his bankruptcy filing in 1991. The aftermath of Hurricane Hugo had left the airpark with significant repair costs, from downed trees and damaged homes to delayed runway improvements. At the same time, the regional housing market had slowed, and rising interest rates further limited the pool of prospective buyers for Gold Hill Airpark lots. Adding to the challenge were persistent rumors of a nearby nuclear waste dump, which discouraged new residents and complicated Fine’s sales efforts.
Maintenance of the centralized wastewater system and newly paved runway continued to drain resources, creating ongoing operational expenses. Fine’s financial obligations mounted to include construction suppliers, equipment lenders, and especially Bank of Stanly, which had financed portions of the development.
As the situation worsened, Bank of Stanly stepped in to manage Fine’s unsold assets and infrastructure, seeking to protect its collateral. The bank’s involvement highlighted the risk that the airpark could be repossessed or even closed, which would have jeopardized the homes already constructed and the fledgling aviation community that had begun to form.
The bankruptcy marked a turning point in the airpark’s history, setting the stage for new leadership and the eventual formation of the Gold Hill Airpark Association, ensuring the survival of the community and the airport.
Around 1991, following J.P. Fine’s bankruptcy, the Bank of Stanly turned to Larry Murphy, Gold Hill Airpark’s first resident, to assume responsibility for the airport and preserve the community.
Recognizing the importance of maintaining both the runway and the nascent neighborhood, Murphy agreed under strict conditions: the runway, taxiways, and centralized wastewater system would be deeded to a new homeowners association rather than remain under bank or private control, and he would not expand the project beyond its existing boundaries. To ensure the transition succeeded, he personally mortgaged his house and airplane to finance the legal and organizational work needed to stabilize the airpark.
Working closely with an attorney from Albemarle/Salisbury, Murphy drafted the Articles of Incorporation for what would become the Gold Hill Airpark Homeowners Association (GHAP HOA). He also conducted thorough title research to identify all existing lot owners and mailed formal notices to each property holder, establishing the legal foundation for shared ownership and community responsibility.
The Gold Hill Airpark Homeowners Association (GHAP HOA) was officially recognized in 1993, marking the first time the airpark’s infrastructure and community governance were collectively managed.
Early challenges quickly became apparent: some pre-1988 deeds did not include obligations for maintenance fees, creating potential funding gaps, and establishing coordinated schedules for runway and utility maintenance required cooperation from all residents. Beyond the logistical hurdles, the community faced a cultural shift, transitioning from Fine’s “benevolent dictatorship” to a democratic, collaborative management model—a significant change for early residents accustomed to Fine’s centralized control.
Through Murphy’s leadership, the HOA preserved the airpark, maintained the essential infrastructure, and set the stage for the community’s growth, ensuring that Gold Hill Airpark could survive and thrive beyond its troubled early years.
Following the formal establishment of the Gold Hill Airpark Association, the early 1990s marked a period of stabilization and community-building. The first homes were completed in sequence, beginning with Larry Murphy’s own residence and hangar (1988–1989), followed by John and Mary Miller’s home (1989), then Charlie and Roberta Robinson, John and Kathy Murphy at the runway’s end, and finally Tom and Martha Reddeck. By 1992–1993, at least five homes were fully occupied, creating the first stable residential aviation community at Gold Hill Airpark.
During this period, early homeowners worked closely together to maintain and improve the community’s aviation infrastructure. They coordinated on runway upkeep and drainage improvements, ensuring the grass strip remained functional year-round. Electrical conduits and lighting systems along the taxiways were extended, often with hands-on participation from technically skilled residents, creating safer and more reliable access to aircraft.
This era cemented the foundational culture of collaboration among pilot-residents, blending aviation passion with neighborly cooperation—a hallmark of Gold Hill Airpark that continues to define the community today.
Founding Board of Directors
President, Larry Murphy
Secretary, Tom Reddeck
Coming Soon!