Steve Gregory's son, Flying Officer Daniel Stephen Gregory, 28, was killed alongside Flight Lieutenant Hayden Peter Madsen, 33, and Corporal Benjamin Andrew Carson, 25, when their Iroquois hit a hill at Pukerua Bay, about 40km north of Wellington, as it headed from Ohakea air base for an Anzac Day dawn flypast in Wellington.
Sergeant Stevin Iain Creeggan survived but was badly hurt and has had surgery and remains in a stable condition at Wellington Hospital.
Speaking to media at Ohakea Airbase today, Mr Gregory said his son had been claimed as the property of all of New Zealand, and he, along with his wife Wendy, son Stuart and Daniel's wife Sarah "couldn't be more proud to share him".
Flg Off Gregory was proud to carry on the family tradition of military service and had never missed an Anzac Day commemoration, Mr Gregory said.
"Anzac Day for our family will always have special significance. It will be a time to remember our fallen heroes, but it will also be a time to celebrate our son's bright, but all too short, life."
Receiving the phone call following his death was "every bit as bad as you can probably imagine", he said.
Mr Gregory also wished Sgt Creeggan a full and speedy recovery, and thanked the crew at Ohakea for their support.
"It is very evident to all of us that they, too, have lost members of their family and that they are hurting as we are."
A military funeral would be held at Ohakea Airbase on Thursday, and would be closed to the media.
Air force chief Air Vice-Marshal Graham Lintott said an investigation into the crash was ongoing and could take some time.
Investigators would photograph the site and map it out before the wreckage was flown out, possibly by another Iroquois.
The crash site would then be recreated back at Ohakea for more analysis, AVM Lintott said.
Media attention on the age of the helicopter was a "red herring" and the air force had full confidence in its airworthiness, he said.
The air force acquired its first Iroquois in 1966.
"Every three or four years they have a major depot-level servicing, and during their life, all of the components will have been replaced several times," AVM Lintott said.
Sunday's crash was the fifth by an Iroquois since they were first introduced in 1966. AVM Lintott did not know if the Iroquois that crashed yesterday had crashed previously.
"But if it's been crashed and repaired, it's like a brand new aircraft anyway. So that wouldn't be a factor."
The deceased's commanding officer, Wing Commander Russell Mardon, yesterday said the men were "fantastic individuals, each and every one of them".
"I consider them not only colleagues or members of the squadron but also friends," he told Campbell Live.
The men had "died doing what they loved", Wg Cdr Mardon said.
"We're proud of the boys, and we're very proud of the unit."
The No 3 Squadron was "very much in a state of shock".
"Those friendships and links go all across the squadron. The culture and the camaraderie that we have is something special, and it's what we're relying on right now to get through this," Wg Cdr Mardon said.
