There was a time when Keystone Helicopter required 3000 hours for EMS pilot positions. A Hospital with it's own Part 135 cert in Central and NE PA, and who use to be with Keystone back in the day dropped to 2000 hours a couple of years ago. Now they hire 1700 hour pilots.

How much lower can it go in such a challenging enviornment over the endless mountains?

Even if that hospital drops the hours to 1one keep away. There's a reason the requirement is lower and either to retain or hire pilots. 

You do mean folded hills strewn with wires, right?

The terrain in Pennsylvania is hilly at best. Mountains? Nah, there highest "mountains" are 2500-3000 feet.

Tree Fiddy???????

advise all who think of applying the interview is with the medical crews, no pilots. The hospital and medics assume pilots are not smart enough to make a decision

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It's all about what the insurwance industry will endure.  They set the minimums by having crazy premiums.  

I would argue that a 1700 pilot flies no differntly than a 2000 hour pilot for the most part.

It depends on what the aviator in question has spent his 1700-2000 hours doing...

Turns out flying isn't the hard part. Landing is

Damn, I logged 147 hours last year.  I must be a company man.  Time to slack off and turn down calls.  But then, we wouldn't get our 110K call target. :) 

thats like 16 whole hours a month

EMS has always been scrounging for pilots. It's a load of bullsh*t that once upon a time they only hired high time pilots that were phds in helicopter science.

Circa 2005, I was told by the chief pilot of CJSAG that the average applicant had 6000 hours.  There were still a lot of Vietnam guys out there.

I knew actual real live people getting hired that had less 2,000 during that time, same as now. 

I knew actual real live people getting hired that had less 2,000 during that time, same as now. 

That's a fact, jack, at some programs. Has been so for 20 years. The Vietnam guys (I'm one) are hanging it up, tired of it or just not flight physical-able. If it took me 73 years to grow up, at least I finally did.

leave that grow up stuff where it belongs and go have fun doing something else.  Hiking and etc weigh heavily on staying,somewhat, in shape.

I could have done a few more years but the generation gaps in the pilot roster were making base culture a little too much.

the per-flight hour pay.  Looks even better.

you make 800 an hour but you do have to be there for the other 2000 hours a year

But, 120K/65 = 1,846$/flt hr

And don't say it doesn't exist.

Supply and Demand.  Fewer pilots = lower mins (especially when they're not paying community median or better salary).  Actual difference in experience  betwee 1700 - 2000 hours is probably not a big deal (look what Part 121 did with ATP and hours).  Much more important is the person and what they did in that time.  That particular company had to lower the mins becuase it wasn't attracting any pilots willing to accept the lower than median salary for a SPIFR job. They were once competitve but not so much anymore.