The Jesus nut, also called the Jesus pin, is the nut that holds the main rotor to the mast of some helicopters, such as the UH-1 Iroquois helicopter. It is a slang term that may have been coined by American soldiers in Vietnam: the technical term is main rotor retaining nut. Other sources suppose that the term may be coined as early as by Igor Sikorsky, a pioneer of rotor wing aircraft, who was a deeply religious person. The Vietnam War was the first war fought seriously by the helicopter.
The origin of the term comes from the idea that, if the Jesus pin were to fail in flight, the helicopter would detach from the rotors and the only thing left for the crew to do would be to pray to Jesus. Real examples of the Jesus pin failing are few and far between. In one notable case, the exact cause was never determined. However the pin must be checked before the flight. Some more recent helicopter systems do not have a Jesus nut.
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