[Canada] What does “pipeline patrol” actually involve?

Posted by WhenWillIBeAPilot@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 12 comments

I always hear that these jobs are an alternative way to build [single-engine] time vs. instructing but just wanted to ask:

(A) is it true that it’s done single-engine?

(B) what does it entail?

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Future_Tackle6617@reddit

1300 hours of Canadian pipeline flying here.

A) Yes all day vfr single engine.

B) It entails flying 200 AGL in a clapped out tail dragger following pipelines or North/South East/West lines for hours at a time.

Pay is pretty shite but nothing new to entry level aviation.

It’s kinda sketchy at times, especially because things aren’t done the way flight schools do things. But I’m constantly at max duty time.

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Dual-use@reddit

Is it done year round or just summers?

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Future_Tackle6617@reddit

On a busy day I'll fly 600nm x4 aircraft.

You'd need a lot of drones to do that. Some of it is in very remote areas. However the technology is getting better and will absolutely make my job obsolete in the nearish future.

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mvweatherornot@reddit

I was really hoping for some funny answers. Disappointed they were all serious

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Therealbismark@reddit

To add to this, it's a relatively dangerous gig. Low altitude, slow, precise flying, and single piston.

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You look for excavation or other damage. A yahoo contractor can scrape a pipe with a backhoe bucket and dangerously compromise the pipe, for instance. High-wing planes work best, and you don't want to go fast, so singles are fine.

Do similar things for powerlines. I used to have an office sandwiched between IAD and the nearby high tension lines and would see the guy shooting up in a Skyhawk at a few hundred feet along the lines from time to time.

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DonutStick@reddit

Basically, low altitude flying to check for leaks in oil/gas pipeline. It is primarily done in a high wing single engine aircraft. You fly back and forth for hours and hours. Always VFR. Usually companies who hire low time pilots require you to sign a contract (12-18 months). It’s a fantastic way to build time, but the pay is a little above poverty and you have to buy out of that contract if you hit your hours before it ends.

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AsleepExplanation160@reddit

You're in a 172 (or similar) flying VFR with a camera looking for damage.

Its a good way to build hours but you won't learn that much.

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pilot2647@reddit

Bro. It’s a euphemism.

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rFlyingTower@reddit

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:

I always hear that these jobs are an alternative way to build [single-engine] time vs. instructing but just wanted to ask:

(A) is it true that it’s done single-engine?

(B) what does it entail?

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