I seem to recall being told the FAA had exempted towing gliders from
the need for a commercial license as long as no monetary compensation
is received by the private pilot tow pilot. *Is this still true or is
flight time alone considered compensation as it is in the rest of the
powered flight realm?

Umm, where do you fly? I want to get in on this non-compensation-for-
tows deal... It's perfectly legal if a private does it for free
(towing flight time is not compensation, neither is charging up to the
pro-rata share of direct expenses for that matter...), but who the
hell does that? And where?

-Paul