Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/194874
H o m e b uil d e r 's C or n e r Gonk!??... and Freedom Special things about Paul By Charlie Becker, EAA Homebuilding Community Manager Last month I shared with you my thoughts about Paul's Aeroplane Factory. I signed off with the word "GONK." Several people have asked the meaning of this term, so I thought I would share with you its origin and meaning. It gives you a little insight into the personal side of Paul Poberezny. I had the privilege of being "GONKED" by Paul many times. On page 216 from the book Poberezny: The Story Begins… comes the explanation for GONK: "…It all started one day when Paul picked up the little boy to greet him. Tommy (Tom Poberezny) squeezed his dad's nose and said, 'GONK!' pretending it was a toy air horn; it was great fun! As the game continued, GONK! grew to mean many things; its use quickly began to encompass everything from 'hello' to 'goodbye'—as long as the word or action had a pleasant meaning. GONK! can still be heard to this day; Paul uses it regularly when he is among friends. Even the Oshkosh Tower has been known to say it over the aircraft radio after 'Red One' touches down in an airplane. (Paul's radio call sign is 'Red One'; Audrey's is 'Diamond One.') If you have ever been 'GONKED!' then you'll know what we mean. It's 4 Vol.2 No.10 / October 2013 another of Paul's special trademarks—a four-letter word with class!" So you see that GONK! is an expression of joy and goodwill toward the person you are GONKING. So when I signed off my column with GONK! I was telling Paul in his own words that we love him, we miss him, we thank him for his good deeds, and we will see him again when our time comes. All this rolled into one little word. GONK! to you. Freedom On the back cover of this issue is a reprint of a poster that you'll find hanging in many of the offices around EAA HQ. Paul had them made up in 1988 and continued to hand them out to members and staff when they visited his office. I wanted to share this with our Experimenter readers as I find the words just as relevant today as when Paul wrote them back in 1988. Paul's belief in the freedom to build, to dream, to fly is the very essence of EAA. I encourage you to print this out and put it up in your shop in honor of our founder, Paul H. Poberezny.