He went on to say that with only that certificate and the implication that I was doing an NPPL rather than a PPL, he was not allowed to send me solo outside the circuit unless I had a nav checkout ( I think he said) with a qualified examiner first.
What utter nonsense! Unless your club has some draconian local rule, your instructor was talking through his hat!
Were you planning to fly a formal pilot navigation exercise, or just Ex14B solo? I.e., to leave the circuit, fly some general handling in the local area, then rejoin the circuit?
The only NPPL requirement for navigation assessment by an Authorised Examiner is the Navigation Skill Test which must be flown
before the
qualifying cross-country - and you certainly weren't about to fly that!
After completing Ex14B, you should be learning steep turns and PFLs
before starting on pilot navigation, incidentally.
Whether you continue with your NPPL training or decide upon JAR-FCL PPL(A) training is up to you - we don't know what EASA plans for the NPPL yet.
Additionally, there may well be changes to the ORS4 No.756 exemption arrangements this August when it is due for re-issue. It was only ever intended for pilots with valid licences and ratings who either could no longer hold, or who chose not to continue to hold, JAA Class 2 medical certificates - and permits them to continue to fly SEP aircraft but restricted to SSEA privileges in circumstances described in the ORS4 No.756 exemption document.