So in the U.K., practice autorotations must be done at airports. Easy enough, right? Only...in the real world, engines don't always quit at airports. So flight instructors like to put their students in "real world" situations. "Where would you go if the engine quit NOW?" they ask, chopping the throttle and initiating an autorotation and allowing the student to take it all the way down to a power-recovery. They don't touch down, of course - just get it low enough to assure the successful outcome.
Just to be clear thats not the rule in the UK, we can only
touchdown at what I will call approved places, this used to be licensed airifields only but has recently been rlelxed (if youj ump through some hoops). However the autorotation or practice forced landing exercises can be terminated in the middle of nowhere provided we do not come close than 500' to people or things (not a direct quote and I do know what the rules says).