FAR 61.93 only applies to "student pilots." This pilot is a
private pilot, not a student pilot. 61.93 does not apply to
him.

This pilot is certainly not a "private pilot - airplane."
So what section is he operating under for 61.31(c)? Under section
(2) or section (3)? If it's section (2) then he's got the
instructor on board (receiving training, pretty hard to
do while solo).



If you say you aren't under (1), then under (3)
you're going to need something in writing better than
"Billy Bob CFI told me verbally it was ok."

He has a written endorsement for solo in airplanes.

What does the written endorsement say? Just "ok to solo stuff"?
Is there a signature of a CFI and endorsement? No section
number? Perhaps it says "OK to fly any plane anywhere?"

So write me a sample endorsement. If it doesn't reference
anything in the CFR, then the CFI is making up his own
stuff. If it references some student pilot section,
then it applies only to student pilots. If the guy
says he isn't a student pilot, then the endorsement is
invalid and we're back to 61.31(d)(1).

We had a local private pilot - glider who wanted to take
power lessons. Her CFI gave her some dual, and when it
came time for solo, asked our local examiner. The DPE
called the FSDO, the FSDO said she was a student pilot.
Get her a medical and sign it as a student and write the
endorsements out of the student pilot section of 61.

This was a relief to the CFI, since the pilot also was
not flight review current, and could have only gained such
currency in a glider.

Common sense also seems to hold up that a private pilot - glider
with no flight review, no medical, no X-C endorsements and
no X-C training or experience should not be flying from
Watsonville to Tallahasee.

Any CFI who writes an endorsement without citing a section,
or without giving the required training, would be pretty
bold. Any pilot who didn't comply with the section in the
endorsement, because it didn't apply because he isn't a student
pilot, would be violating section 61.31(d)(1).

I pointed this out to the NPRM sport folks also. A glider
sport pilot could be endorsed for J-3 cub sport license by a sport CFI
without any X-C training. In the sport case this was explicit.
NOT a good idea. Dunno if it's changed in the final version.