TVA utility pilot Brian Lacks (left) on a jobsite with crew. Photo: Lyn Burks


Brian Lacks


Pilot and former Marine One Crew Chief Brian Lacks started the MD530 construction helicopter program at Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) that modernized the fleet of one of the largest electricity producers in the country.


“Brian Lacks was a professional in all aspects of the word,” said Randy Rowles, chair of the Helicopter Association International Board of Directors and president of Helicopter Institute who also writes Rotorcraft Pro’s Checkride column. “In both his personal and professional lives, he exemplified exceptionalism while maintaining kindness and attentiveness to all around him. He was a great pilot, husband, father, and friend!”


Considering the precision necessary for hovering crews next to 500-volt electricity lines, alongside the enormity of the TVA operations, Lacks understood the unconditional need for the best equipment. The TVA fleet’s three new MD 530F helicopters help TVA work safely and efficiently by being equipped with glass cockpits, synthetic vision systems and digital instrumentation.


“’Perfection is our goal’ is a quote Brian used a lot,” TVA Helicopter Operations Manager Adam Hammond related.


Lacks’ efforts improved the lives of not only his coworkers but also millions of customers throughout the huge TVA system. TVA is by far the largest of only a few public power providers in the country with a generating capacity of about 32,000 megawatts. It’s also the first and largest regional planning agency for the federal government.


WATCH VIDEO OF BRIAN LACKS IN ACTION 56 Nov/Dec 2021


Lacks was born July 21, 1967. He left home at 18 to join the U.S. Marine Corps and became an avionics technician for the Presidential Helicopter Squadron, Marine One. He was eventually selected to serve as a Marine Crew Chief for President George H. W. Bush. As a Marine, he visited every state in America, along with Mexico, Korea, Iraq, Kuwait, Japan, and Australia.


After leaving the Marines, Lacks worked as a helicopter mechanic with Agrotors Powerline (now Haverfield Aviation). He decided he wanted to fly helicopters instead of just working on them, so he obtained his pilot’s license and became a utility pilot. He was an experienced saw pilot with Aerial Solution before coming to fly for TVA in 2011. He logged over 15,000 hours.


Lacks died at the age of 54 on Sept. 15, 2021. He leaves behind his wife Kellan and two daughters, Jenna and Abby.


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