Utility & Longline Helicopter Pilot Jobs (2026): Part 133 External-Load Rules, Vertical Reference Hours, HEC, Pay and Who’s Hiring

What “utility” flying means

Utility helicopter pilots fly powerline construction and maintenance (setting poles and towers, pulling wire, carrying linemen), patrol and inspection, construction lifts (rooftop HVAC units, towers, ski lifts), drill moves, logging, seeding and agricultural lifts such as Christmas-tree harvests. Almost all of it is external-load work under 14 CFR Part 133, rotorcraft external-load operations (eCFR), often flown by vertical reference: leaning out the door or looking down through a bubble window to place a load on a longline. The FAA estimated operators flew 175,000 hours under Part 133 in 2015 (FAA AC 133-1B, Rotorcraft External-Load Operations (PDF), para. 1.9).

It is also one of the few helicopter sectors where employers post hour minimums and pay on their own pages, so the numbers below come straight from those pages.

What Part 133 actually requires

• An operator certificate, not a pilot rating. Nobody may conduct rotorcraft external-load operations in the U.S. without a Rotorcraft External-Load Operator Certificate (14 CFR 133.11). It expires at the end of the 24th month after it’s issued or renewed (14 CFR 133.13). Public aircraft flown by federal, state or local government are exempt from the certification rules (14 CFR 133.1; AC 133-1B Change 1 (Mar 16, 2020, PDF)).
• A commercial or ATP certificate. The operator must hold, or have available, at least one pilot with a current commercial or ATP certificate and a rating for the rotorcraft, and must designate a chief pilot (14 CFR 133.21). A commercial helicopter certificate takes 150 hours of flight time, including 100 hours PIC (14 CFR 61.129 (eCFR)).
• A knowledge and skill check, no hour count. Each pilot must show knowledge and skill for the rotorcraft-load combination; line pilots may show it to the chief pilot or an assistant chief pilot, and must carry a letter of competency or logbook entry (14 CFR 133.37). The test covers a survey of the work area, rigging, performance, briefing ground crews and the load flight manual, plus takeoffs, hover control, acceleration, approaches, maneuvering the load into the release position and winch operation if installed (14 CFR 133.23).
• Low and close flying is allowed. Certificate holders may fly below 500 feet and closer than 500 feet to people, vessels, vehicles and structures when needed for the job, without creating a hazard (14 CFR 133.33(e)). Work over congested areas needs a plan approved by the local Flight Standards office, an agreement with local officials to keep people out, and routes that let the pilot jettison the load and land safely (14 CFR 133.33(d)). No external loads under IFR without specific FAA approval, and never a person on the load under IFR (14 CFR 133.33(f)).
• Who can ride. Only flight crewmembers, trainees, people performing an essential function for the load, or people needed for the work itself (14 CFR 133.35).

Class A, B, C and D loads

Class	FAA definition	Utility example
A	Load can’t move freely, can’t be jettisoned and doesn’t extend below the landing gear (14 CFR 1.1 definitions (eCFR))	Linemen working from a skid-mounted platform; Winco calls this “skid work” (Winco Line Pilot posting 2025-10509)
B	Jettisonable load lifted free of land or water (14 CFR 1.1 definitions (eCFR))	An air-conditioning unit lifted onto a roof (the FAA’s example), poles, tower sections, Christmas-tree bundles (FAA AC 133-1B, Rotorcraft External-Load Operations (PDF); Apex Helicopters Christmas tree harvest page)
C	Jettisonable load that stays in contact with land or water (14 CFR 1.1 definitions (eCFR))	Wire stringing (“wire pull,” “side-pull,” “sock line”), dragging a long pole (FAA AC 133-1B, Rotorcraft External-Load Operations (PDF); Winco Line Pilot posting 2025-10509; PJ Helicopters AS350 Utility & Drill Support Pilot posting 2026-14684)
D	Anything else, approved case by case; the only class that may carry people other than crew or essential workers, and only in a transport Category A multiengine helicopter with an approved personnel lifting device (14 CFR 1.1 definitions (eCFR); 14 CFR 133.45; FAA AC 133-1B, Rotorcraft External-Load Operations (PDF))	Harbor-pilot transfers, rescue hoisting

Human external cargo (HEC) is any operation where a person is carried outside the helicopter at some point (FAA AC 133-1B, Rotorcraft External-Load Operations (PDF)). Linemen on a longline are usually flown as Class B HEC. The FAA’s advisory circular says operators should pick only pilots with “a sufficient level of experience, skill, and ability within Class B vertical reference operations,” trained by the chief pilot or a designee in precision vertical reference placement, HEC rigging and secondary safety devices, harness and longline inspection, risk analysis, CRM and communication (FAA AC 133-1B, Rotorcraft External-Load Operations (PDF), para. 3.4.2.6). Class D crews need approved initial or recurrent training every 12 calendar months (14 CFR 133.37(b)).

Who’s hiring: minimums, pay and schedules

Postings on each operator’s own site or careers board, checked Nov 12, 2026.

Operator (base)	Job	Minimums	Pay	Schedule
PJ Helicopters (Red Bluff, CA)	AS350 Utility & Drill Support Pilot, full time	2,500 h total PIC; AS350 PIC time; wire-environment experience required; 500 h VR, HEC, sock-line pulling and firefighting preferred; Part 133/135 knowledge	$110,000–$150,000 a year	2/2 schedule for qualified pilots
PJ Helicopters (Red Bluff, CA)	CH-47D Utility Hook SIC, call when needed	500 h turbine helicopter, 500 h CH-47D/F; BV-234 type rating or current military CH-47 qualification; Class 1 or 2 medical	$32–$36 an hour; per diem, lodging and travel paid	On call, year-round
Guardian Helicopters (Fillmore, CA)	Utility Helicopter Pilot, full time (powerline, HEC, interagency fire)	2,500 h helicopter PIC, 500 h turbine helicopter, 200 h external load; PG&E HEC qualification, Bell 407/205 and BK117 time desired	$68–$109 an hour (based on split schedule) plus flight pay	Split schedules for experienced pilots
Winco Powerline Services (Aurora, OR; field-based)	Line Pilot (MD500 powerline construction: HEC, Class A skid work, Class C wire pull)	Commercial or ATP helicopter; 2nd class medical; 200 h longline/vertical reference; 50 h MD500	Not published (401(k) match up to 4.5%)	3 weeks on / 3 weeks off
Haverfield Aviation (Gettysburg, PA; nationwide)	MD500 Pilot	5 years aviation experience; 1,500 h helicopter total, 1,000 h turbine, 500 h MD500; VRLL experience required	Not published	Not published
Haverfield Aviation	Huey Pilot	3,000 h helicopter total, 1,000 h turbine, 500 h Huey, 250 h precision VRLL from a Huey	Not published	Not published
Haverfield Aviation	Black Hawk Pilot	3,000 h helicopter total, 1,000 h turbine, 500 h Hawk, 500 h precision VRLL; type rating	Not published	Not published
Haverfield Aviation	Aerial Saw Pilot (right-of-way trimming)	3,000 h helicopter total, 1,000 h turbine, 500 h MD500; production side-trim saw experience	Not published	Not published

Sources: PJ Helicopters AS350 Utility & Drill Support Pilot posting 2026-14684; PJ Helicopters CH-47D SIC Pilot posting 2026-17639; Guardian Helicopters employment page; Winco Line Pilot posting 2025-10509 (posted in 2025, still open Nov 12, 2026); Haverfield MD500 Pilot page; Haverfield Huey Pilot page; Haverfield Black Hawk Pilot page; Haverfield Aerial Saw Pilot page.

The Quanta Aviation group

Four of the biggest utility operators sit under one owner. Quanta Aviation Services supports PJ Helicopters, Billings Flying Service, Winco Powerline Services and Wilson Utility Helicopters, and says together they run “the largest private utility helicopter fleet in the world” (Quanta Aviation Services). PJ Helicopters has flown since 1970 with 50+ aircraft, is headquartered in California and lists regional bases in Colorado, Texas, Pennsylvania and Alabama (Quanta Aviation PJ Helicopters page). Its AS350 posting says pilots can move up to the Bell 407, Bell 429, Bell 212, UH-60A and CH-47 (PJ Helicopters AS350 Utility & Drill Support Pilot posting 2026-14684). Billings Flying Service (Billings, MT) flies CH-47 Chinook heavy lift and firefighting (Quanta Aviation Billings Flying Service page). Wilson Utility Helicopters (Lodi and Chino, CA) does patrol, LiDAR and infrared inspection, wire pull and HEC across the Western U.S. (Quanta Aviation Wilson Utility Helicopters page). All four companies’ jobs are on one Quanta careers board (pilot search).

Christmas trees: a short, intense longline season

Each year Apex Helicopters (Florence, Oregon) flies Part 133 Christmas-tree harvests in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and Southwest Washington. Its pilots fly a remote hook on a 25-foot line to a ground crew who hook on bundles of trees, “usually between 700 to 800 lbs,” and fly them to waiting trucks or balers (Apex Helicopters Christmas tree harvest page). Apex says it can harvest “upwards of 10,000 trees per day” depending on tree size and distance, and also does fir-bough, seedling, fertilizer and seeding lifts, with lines from 25 to 250 feet (Apex Helicopters external load page). It flies a Bell 206B-3 and an AS350B3 (Apex Helicopters aircraft page). Apex calls the job one for “a highly experienced vertical reference production pilot” (Apex Helicopters Christmas tree harvest page); it doesn’t publish pilot minimums or pay.

Texas and DFW utility operators

• 5 State Helicopters: aerial-crane company registered at 285 Blackland Rd in Fate (Rockwall County), east of Dallas (FAA aircraft registry (N70TX)). It flies only twin-engine helicopters: the BK-117 for loads of 1,800 lb or less, the S-58T for up to 4,000 lb and the UH-60 for 8,000 lb and up (5 State Helicopters aircraft pages). Work includes rooftop units, towers, steel, powerline construction, ski lifts, salvage, wildfire suppression and disaster response; it says it has responded to every hurricane landfall from western Florida to Texas in 40 years (5 State Helicopters services page; 5 State Helicopters about page). No careers page or pilot minimums are published.
• S2 Helicopter Services: based at Albany Municipal Airport (T23), northeast of Abilene; flies power line inspection (wood and steel structures) and pipeline inspection and infrared gas-leak detection nationwide. Founded in 2015 by Jacey Shack, a former Army OH-58D pilot with more than 9,000 hours (S2 Helicopter Services home page; S2 Helicopter Services about page; S2 power line inspection page). Pilot postings are not published on its site.
• PJ Helicopters lists a regional base in Texas; the city isn’t published (Quanta Aviation PJ Helicopters page).

For the rest of the Texas helicopter market (air medical, offshore, police) see helicopter pilot jobs in Texas and the DFW pilot jobs page.

How pilots get to a utility job

1. Commercial helicopter certificate (150 hours) (14 CFR 61.129 (eCFR)); see how to become a helicopter pilot.
2. Build PIC and turbine time. Every full-time posting above except Winco’s lists 1,500–3,000 hours total or PIC, and Haverfield and Guardian also ask for 500–1,000 hours turbine.
3. Get first longline hours. TEMSCO says returning tour pilots can train in Part 133 sling work and the MD500 as a “steppingstone into utility work and fire fighting” (see our tour pilot guide). Winco’s posting is the lowest published bar we found: 200 hours VR and 50 in the MD500.
4. Add type time in the workhorses: the MD500 (Winco, Haverfield), AS350 and Bell 407 (PJ, Guardian), then Huey, Bell 205/212, Black Hawk or CH-47 for heavy lift (Haverfield, Guardian, PJ).
5. Utility skills carry into aerial firefighting: Guardian and PJ both list fire work in their utility postings (Guardian Helicopters employment page; PJ Helicopters AS350 Utility & Drill Support Pilot posting 2026-14684).

Sources (checked Nov 12, 2026)

• FAA rules (eCFR, Title 14 up to date as of Nov 9, 2026): 14 CFR Part 133, rotorcraft external-load operations (eCFR); 14 CFR 133.1; 14 CFR 133.13; 14 CFR 133.21; 14 CFR 133.23; 14 CFR 133.33; 14 CFR 133.35; 14 CFR 133.37; 14 CFR 133.45; 14 CFR 1.1 definitions (eCFR); 14 CFR 61.129 (eCFR)
• FAA guidance: FAA AC 133-1B, Rotorcraft External-Load Operations (PDF); AC 133-1B Change 1 (Mar 16, 2020, PDF)
• Operators: PJ Helicopters AS350 Utility & Drill Support Pilot posting 2026-14684; PJ Helicopters CH-47D SIC Pilot posting 2026-17639; Quanta Aviation Services; Quanta Aviation PJ Helicopters page; Quanta Aviation Wilson Utility Helicopters page; Quanta Aviation Billings Flying Service page; Quanta careers board (pilot search); Winco Line Pilot posting 2025-10509; Winco Powerline Services site; Guardian Helicopters employment page; Haverfield MD500 Pilot page; Haverfield Huey Pilot page; Haverfield Black Hawk Pilot page; Haverfield Aerial Saw Pilot page; Haverfield fleet page; Haverfield about page; Apex Helicopters Christmas tree harvest page; Apex Helicopters external load page; Apex Helicopters aircraft page
• Texas: FAA aircraft registry (N70TX); 5 State Helicopters about page; 5 State Helicopters services page; 5 State Helicopters aircraft pages; S2 Helicopter Services home page; S2 Helicopter Services about page; S2 power line inspection page
• Pathway quote: TEMSCO Tour Pilot Hiring Information (PDF)

What we couldn’t verify

Pay isn’t published by Winco, Haverfield, Apex, 5 State or S2. Higher or lower figures on job boards and salary sites weren’t used. Wilson Utility Helicopters had a utility pilot posting on job boards, but it wasn’t on the Quanta careers board when we checked, so it isn’t in the table. Postings from Rugged Mountain Aviation (Utah) and Central Copters (Montana) appeared only on job boards, not on their own sites. 5 State Helicopters’ “100+ helicopters” network and hurricane record are the company’s own claims. Haverfield doesn’t list schedules. Winco’s total-time minimum isn’t stated. Christmas-tree season dates, pilot counts and turn rates come only from trade press and weren’t used.

Next steps

Compare every helicopter operator, check helicopter pilot salary data, and see the other turbine jobs: air medical, offshore, firefighting and tours.