Hey, thoughtful flyer, any experienced instructor will be able to tell from your flying whether or not your logbook entries are credible!
Yes, but that is not really my point. What I'm trying to do is, if you like, protect my investment and make sure that my previous experience and qualifications are not wasted if I re-start in four to five years time.
Obviously I could do a course next year, go solo again and hopefully get my logbook experience signed off then apply for the new licence. However, as I don't intend to restart properly for a further four years that would be largely wasted. What I want to do is get the paperwork sorted then have the minimum necessary training to get back to a safe solo standard when it suits me in the future. My concern is that if I don't do it in this transition window I will have to re-take theory exams etc. What frustrates me is that I cannot get a clear answer from anybody about what happens if, like me, you are an experienced pilot but not current.
I am not happy with the notion you could buy a fancy self launching sailplane, take off from your farmstrip, and go swanning about without oversight of some sort.
No, nor would I be! However you can't even do that under the current system if the glider is self launching. Yes, in theory you could buy an LS8 or whatever and do as you say with a pure glider providing you could get somebody to give you an aerotow. Hopefully nobody would be that stupid .......