I got hired at 300 hours. Loved it. Built 1,800 hours in 2 years doing pipeline patrol over the south east. However, it's true that positions for low time pilots are disappearing in the pipeline industry.

It's been researched and most of the accidents in the pipeline industry are with folks who have less than 1,500 hours. For that reason most the companies are requiring 1,500 hours now to start, unless you get hired as a spotter.

This job is a heck of lot more fun than flight instructing and you can actually make a living doing it. However, if you want to make a career out of it, eventually you will want to work for the company rather than a sub-contractor. Once you've done it for a while, you'll see why.

What can you move on to from pipeline patrol?

Would it be cliche to say that the sky is the limit?

Haha well I guess that's one way to put it. Do many operators view pipeline as valuable time? I obviously don't know much about it, but I think it would be a fun job.

The truth is hours are hours. I can only tell you that when I quit 2 years ago to work for a regional I had 2300 total time but very low multi time. So I had to buy some multi engine hours. My stick and rudder skills were very good but I had forgotten a lot of regs that my CFI buddies were all fresh on.

It wasn't a big deal. I was still offered interviews at 5 different regional airlines once I got 100 multi. Again, hours are hours. Also, I've got photos and memories of the pipeline job that I'll have with me forever. Not to mention some good stories that are fun to tell while cruising along at Flight Level.

Do what's best for you.

So are there any companies hiring for pipeline?

Barr and KCSI are a couple of the bigger ones out there. Barr states on their website that new pipeline pilots start at 40K a year but does anyone have any info on KCSI?? Looks like they fly a lot of Citabrias which I think would be more fun than a Cessna.

I remember reading somewhere KCSI mins were 1500 TT with 100 Tailwheel

There are always exceptions as had been said, though in general this is not a good job for real low timers anyway, unless you are really up on airspace, learned to fly in a high density area and have good stick and rudder and communication skills. You will also be right down there with towers, helicopters, rising terain, Etc. You can have a lot going on, real quick. Ag flyers have the same issues. And yes, it can seem a little strange at first to be working an area literally next to a Class B airport; though the controllers however are normally very accommodating and adept at working with you; as long as you work with them, and get in and get out.

Low altitude aerial surveys is similar, and I recall many close calls with airliners on the job. If you get close to departure or arrival lanes be super careful, do not trust tower and/or ARR/DEP to watch out for you all that well. I heard many an airliner call in TCAS resolution advisories when ATC was supposedly directing traffic in those lanes.