An aviation actuator assembly for various aviation servo and/or autopilot applications can include an actuator having an output shaft and a mechanical fuse for joining to the output shaft and another rotating body. The mechanical fuse can include a fuse body having a first connection point for joining to the output shaft, a second connection point for joining to the rotating body, and at least one channel defined in the fuse body. The first connection point and the second connection point are configured to be disposed in a line generally parallel to a common axis of rotation of the output shaft and the rotating body. The fuse body has a generally flat cross-sectional profile along its length between the first connection point and the second connection point, and the channel extends generally perpendicular to the length of the fuse body and narrows the cross-sectional profile.