Junior Burns points out restoration photos of a 1939 Grumman Duck at the Best of the Best competition at AeroShell Square. Photo by Phil Weston

They’re all winners, but only one can be named people’s choice at the National Aviation Hall of Fame’s "Best of the Best" contest.

The five vintage aircraft—a 1927 Waco Model 10-T, a 1930 Kreider Reisner Model 21, a 1939 Grumman Duck, a 1943 Piper L-4 Grasshopper, and a 1949 T6-G—have all won top awards for their authenticity and craftsmanship. But now EAA AirVenture aviation enthusiasts will get a chance to vote and say which is their favorite. The planes, as well as the ballot boxes, are located on AeroShell Square next to the headquarters building.

Ron Kaplan, NAHF executive director, said two other planes were originally slated to be part of the competition, but they pulled out for various reasons. The 1941 Lockheed P-38 Lightning Glacier Girl arrived late at AirVenture after engine problems stopped its flight to England to retrace the famous route that landed it on a Greenland ice cap during World War II. Then collapsed landing gear last week stopped a 1939 Spartan Executive from participating.

"This is about people who give their sweat and tears into restoring these airplanes," Kaplan said. "This is meant to get kids and families interested in the people and history of aviation."

The owners or restorers of the aircraft will be on hand much of the week to tell convention-goers about their planes. Ballots must be cast by Friday, and the winner will be announced at 1 p.m. Saturday at AeroShell Square, with NAHF enshrinees awarding the trophy, Kaplan said.

While this is the first year of the competition at Oshkosh, Kaplan plans to bring it back each year. "Next year, who knows what will happen? We will sit down with EAA officials and decide whether to keep it up to six planes, add more, move it, or whatever."

The National Aviation Hall of Fame and the National Aviation Heritage Invitational joined together to create and sponsor the Best of the Best competition. The contests are a joint effort under the auspices of Rolls-Royce North America Inc., the National Aviation Hall of Fame, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and the Reno Air Racing Foundation.

And which plane will win the 2007 competition?

"I’m not a betting man," Kaplan said. "I don’t have a clue."