Scenario:
- A pilot is rated to fly gliders in the United States.
- The pilot allows his glider flight review to lapse.
- That pilot now decides he wants to get a type rating for the airplane category, single engine land.
Question:
- Does the pilot have to be flight review current in order to solo in a powered airplane?
- (Secondary question, as long as we are at it) Does the pilot have to be flight review current in order to take the FAA practical (check ride) in a powered airplane?
Note: I'm most interested in the answer under US FAA regulations, though the answer in other countries would be of interest as well.
I have spent some time looking over the FARs, specifically 14 CFR 61.56 and I cannot find anything conclusive either way.
I should mention that I suspect the answer to this question to be no, though I am not prepared to offer evidence to back this up.
I've already seen this related question asking whether a biennial flight review is valid for any airplane category, but I don't believe it's a duplicate because that only covers the situation where the pilot is rated in both catagories. This question refers to the situation where the pilot is rated in one category, but not the other.