Can a (properly rated, ie. FI/MEP) instructor sign somebody out to fly a MEP solo, without a license?
I thought all MEP training, plus the MEP skills test, was all done dual, so the first time a (SEP) pilot would fly a MEP solo was when he/she would have the license in hand. So there might not be a provision in the legal framework to let somebody solo on a MEP before license issue.
And of course we're not talking about a few circuits here. As the requirement for a MEP rating is 70 hours PIC, you're talking about some significant solo time under the responsibility of an instructor.
My gut feeling says that this might be something to throw a spanner in the works. Then again, I have not checked the ANO or JAR-FCL, so I might be wrong.