From Combat Aircraft to Interactive Exhibit: Making the Iroquois Safe for Public Exploration

At the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, one of the most exciting exhibits is the iconic Bell UH-1H Iroquois NZ3800 — a helicopter that once served with distinction in the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Today, instead of flying missions, this historic aircraft has been transformed into a hands-on learning experience where engineers, aviation students, and school children can explore the aircraft up close.

Turning a real military helicopter into an interactive public exhibit, however, requires careful safety planning. The aircraft was never designed for hundreds of curious visitors climbing in, around, and through it each week. That’s where Playsafe came in.

Applying Playground Safety Thinking to an Aircraft

Playsafe was engaged to help ensure the helicopter could be safely accessed and explored by visitors. Rather than treating the display like a traditional museum object, the project was approached using the same risk-based thinking applied to playground environments.

Using the principles of NZS 5828 playground safety standards, Playsafe assessed potential hazards including:

• Entrapment risks in gaps and structural openings

• Pinch and shear points around doors, hinges, and moving elements

• Fall heights and landing surfaces

• Access stairs and circulation pathways

• Sharp edges, protrusions, and snag hazards

The helicopter’s structure naturally includes many complex mechanical elements that could present risks in an interactive setting, so a great deal of time was spent carefully reviewing and mitigating these hazards.

Clever Engineering Solutions

A key success factor in this project was the collaboration between Playsafe inspectors and the museum’s highly skilled aircraft engineering team.

Many hazards were resolved through bespoke protective solutions, including custom-made covers, blocks, and guards. These were produced using a mix of traditional carpentry and modern 3D printing, allowing the team to design components that protected visitors while preserving the authenticity and integrity of the aircraft.

This iterative process involved multiple rounds of design review and practical testing to ensure each solution was effective without compromising the exhibit experience.

A Thorough Review Process

Throughout the project, Playsafe inspectors undertook several stages of review, including:

• Early design consultation and hazard identification

• On-site inspections during installation and reassembly

• Final post-installation safety assessment

Following these inspections and the successful resolution of identified hazards, Playsafe issued a Compliance Certificate confirming the exhibit met the relevant safety considerations for public interaction.

Preserving History While Protecting Visitors

Projects like this demonstrate how thoughtful safety design can enable the public to engage with history in meaningful ways. By carefully applying playground safety principles to a completely different environment, the Air Force Museum has created an exhibit that is not only immersive and educational, but also safe for the thousands of visitors who explore it each year.

Playsafe is proud to have played a role in helping bring this remarkable aircraft safely back to life for a new generation of explorers.