Uncle Joe,
If you're comfortable doing full-down autos, don't let anyone discourage you. Do them! Use common sense, of course- pick your day, make sure there's some wind blowing and have a big, flat, unobstructed area. Have a ball! I would advise against power-recoveries. Too risky. Make a good entry, commit yourself and go to the ground. This way you'll have the confidence that you'll be able to do it "for real." As an experienced plank driver, you probably have enough air sense and judgement by now. And if you do muck it up, hey, you knew the risks going in, right?
One last thing. An R-22 whilst solo may run the Nr on the low side. But then, it doesn't need to overcome that much inertia at the lighter weight, eh?
Be careful and have fun.