Jesus Nut
Tsamouris, the Fastener Specialists©
The "Jesus nut," a term coined by American soldiers during the Vietnam War, refers to the main rotor retaining nut that holds the main rotor to the mast of some helicopters. This single component is so critical that if it were to fail mid-flight, the consequences would be catastrophic, with the rotor detaching from the helicopter.
The origin of the term is a grim reminder of the importance of this fastener. Soldiers believed that if the Jesus nut failed, the only thing left to do would be to pray to Jesus, as a crash would be inevitable. The term has since been applied more broadly to any single component, such as a bolt, whose failure would lead to the complete breakdown of a system.
Despite the rarity of actual Jesus nut failures, the component must be rigorously checked before each flight. In one tragic incident in 2000, a Bell 206B helicopter crashed within ten minutes of takeoff, after the mast nut was removed for repainting and not properly restored and checked prior to the test flight.
The "Jesus nut," a term coined by American soldiers during the Vietnam War, refers to the main rotor retaining nut that holds the main rotor to the mast of some helicopters. This single component is so critical that if it were to fail mid-flight, the consequences would be catastrophic, with the rotor detaching from the helicopter.
The origin of the term is a grim reminder of the importance of this fastener. Soldiers believed that if the Jesus nut failed, the only thing left to do would be to pray to Jesus, as a crash would be inevitable. The term has since been applied more broadly to any single component, such as a bolt, whose failure would lead to the complete breakdown of a system.
Despite the rarity of actual Jesus nut failures, the component must be rigorously checked before each flight. In one tragic incident in 2000, a Bell 206B helicopter crashed within ten minutes of takeoff, after the mast nut was removed for repainting and not properly restored and checked prior to the test flight.
Jesus Nut
Tsamouris, the Fastener Specialists©
The "Jesus nut," a term coined by American soldiers during the Vietnam War, refers to the main rotor retaining nut that holds the main rotor to the mast of some helicopters. This single component is so critical that if it were to fail mid-flight, the consequences would be catastrophic, with the rotor detaching from the helicopter.
The origin of the term is a grim reminder of the importance of this fastener. Soldiers believed that if the Jesus nut failed, the only thing left to do would be to pray to Jesus, as a crash would be inevitable. The term has since been applied more broadly to any single component, such as a bolt, whose failure would lead to the complete breakdown of a system.
Despite the rarity of actual Jesus nut failures, the component must be rigorously checked before each flight. In one tragic incident in 2000, a Bell 206B helicopter crashed within ten minutes of takeoff, after the mast nut was removed for repainting and not properly restored and checked prior to the test flight.
The "Jesus nut," a term coined by American soldiers during the Vietnam War, refers to the main rotor retaining nut that holds the main rotor to the mast of some helicopters. This single component is so critical that if it were to fail mid-flight, the consequences would be catastrophic, with the rotor detaching from the helicopter.
The origin of the term is a grim reminder of the importance of this fastener. Soldiers believed that if the Jesus nut failed, the only thing left to do would be to pray to Jesus, as a crash would be inevitable. The term has since been applied more broadly to any single component, such as a bolt, whose failure would lead to the complete breakdown of a system.
Despite the rarity of actual Jesus nut failures, the component must be rigorously checked before each flight. In one tragic incident in 2000, a Bell 206B helicopter crashed within ten minutes of takeoff, after the mast nut was removed for repainting and not properly restored and checked prior to the test flight.
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