scherzo
I have sent quite a few lapsed SEP types solo.
They drop into 4 catagories.
1. Medical transfers onto the NPPL system. They have a medical and all the paper work is in and they want to take a plane up for a local sortie to keep thier hand in.
2. In the old days if the SEP was up the CAA sometimes used to say that they had to redo thier x-country qualifier if it was more than 5 years.
3. Pilots who fly big things getting thier SEP back want to go up by themselves to practise.
4. Normal ppl who let it lapse has completed the retraining cracking day so after the lesson wants to go for a bimble or a small nav ex followed by a couple of circuits and an aircraft is free.
I do remember one examiner getting on his high horse about it to the point of phoning gatwick before doing the revalidation test. After 30 mins on the phone he eventually accepted that as along as you satisfy all the rules for a student pilot you can send who ever you like solo on your license.
As for if you can use those solo for restriction removal I can't remember if I did or didn't. I do remember though I had used 3 x-country qualifiers as 9 solo's and then there was a debate on pprune about it and one of the posters cheated by changing Lasors to stop you doing it. My restriction removal was all done and dusted in 5 weeks after the license landed on the door mat. Busy school only me full time apart from the boss and he was on holiday 6 weeks after I started. Having 2 solo in the circuit with me up in the other aircraft doing circuits wasn't uncommon. Looking back its not the right way of doing things.
I think the old way of having a test before getting released is a much better idea. But at least the CAA has issued some guidance now about being supervised. It can't be done from TESCO's any more.