2024
Aircraft of the Year 2024
Rererangi o te Tau
Leaderboard – Top 5
Aircraft of the year 2024 – Final Results
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Bristol 170 Freighter Mk.31M
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Bell UH-1H Iroquois
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Curtis P-40E Kittyhawk
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McDonnell Douglas TA-4K Skyhawk - NZ6254
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English Electric Canberra B.Mk.20
Aircraft of the Year 2024 – Congratulations to our winners!
We are very excited to reveal that the Bell UH-1H Iroquois and the Bristol B.170 Freighter have been declared joint winners in the Aircraft of the Year competition after they were caught in a dead heat when polls closed.
We thought about a tiebreaker vote but then decided that they are both fantastic and deserved to share the honours.
The Iroquois helicopter was the backbone of the RNZAF for 49 years, with 15 of the type performing extraordinary service in New Zealand and all over the world. Our Iroquois NZ3801 was the first of its type to arrive in 1966.
The RNZAF’s fleet of seven Bristol Freighters served from 1951 until 1977 and became a familiar sight in New Zealand skies. Affectionately known as the Bristol Frightener or Bristol Ugly, they were versatile and reliable transporters perhaps best known for their service in Southeast Asia. Our Freighter, NZ5903, was involved in the evacuation of Saigon in April 1975, just ahead of the end of the Vietnam War.
Third place went to the Curtis P-40E Kittyhawk, crowd pleaser the McDonnell Douglas TA-4K Skyhawk came fourth and the English Electric Canberra B.Mk.20 rounded out the top five.
The Consolidated Catalina, an early favourite, faded to finish sixth and last year’s winner, the Lockheed P-3 K2 Orion came in eighth.
Thanks to everyone who voted – we will do it all again next year!
Meet the Contenders
How Voting Works
How is the winner decided
Voting is based on a majority voting system. Simply select your preferred aircraft and vote for it to be in the running.
Make your vote count
Select the Aircraft you wish to vote for. Click the Vote for Me button. We will then ask you for your name and email address. We need these details to help you verify your vote to ensure the competition is fair. Once you have submitted your vote, you will receive an email with a 4 letter code and a link to your voting verification. Click on the link, enter your code and click submit.
If you don’t receive the verification email, please check your Junk or Spam folder as it may have ended up there. If no verification email arrives, email communications@airforcemuseum.co.nz.
