If you have ever installed instruments behind an aircraft panel, you probably swore at the guy who developed those clip-on "cage-type" instrument nuts. They can fall off when you push in the screw (and don't you love the clinking sound of a nut falling off behind the instrument and the resulting 15 minute search for the *!!!* nut?).

Clip-on nuts have a tendency to get out of alignment, strip out and cause radio interference (just kidding on the last one). Since the clip-on nuts come in 8 different sizes (determined by instrument flange thickness), the chances are slim that you will have all the needed sizes in stock. NOTE: Each EZ Nut comes with four 1 1/2" black stainless steel screws and for black nylon washers.

The advantages of the E-Z Nuts are numerous:

• E-Z Nuts simply slip over the instrument and E-Z Nuts are held in place during installation with 3M adhesive--they won't fall off and get lost.
• Line up one screw hole and then all four are lined up--this is a big advantage when you have one hole that is inaccessible.
• E-Z Nuts come in two obvious sizes (3 1/8" and 2 1/4" that fit the standard aircraft instruments (you won't have to guess what the thickness is of the instrument flange that is behind the panel--"cage type" nuts come in 8 different sizes).
• The threaded E-Z Nuts are stainless steel and have more threads and will not strip out easily, unlike the thin, brass, threaded plate on the "cage-type" of nut
• Misalignment and cross threading of the "cage-type" of nut is common, this will not happen with the larger E-Z Nut bezel that is held flat against the backside of the instrument.