LAPL/PPL course 'Supervised solo' flight time

[BEagle]

Part-FCL is quite clear about the definition of 'solo flight time':

"Solo flight time" means flight time during which a student pilot is the sole occupant of an aircraft.

However, I've recently been advised that, in certain EASA Member States of Southern Europe, ATOs consider that 'supervised' solo flying on a LAPL/PPL course means that an instructor may accompany the student during solo exercises - to the extent that the student might only fly solo in the circuit...

This is not the same as 'SPIC' on integrated commercial courses:

"Student pilot-in-command" (SPIC) means a student pilot acting as pilot-in-command on a flight with an instructor where the latter will only observe the student pilot and shall not influence or control the flight of the aircraft.

Is it really the case that the definition of LAPL/PPL course 'solo flight time' is being flagrantly disregarded in this way?

[S-Works]

If I caught any of my staff doing that in our Southern Europe school, UK CAA ATO they would be out the door so fast it would not disturb the dust.

[chevvron]

For a time in the '90s, the Air Cadet gliding schools in the UK using Vigilant (Grob 109b) motor gliders were only permitted to do 'ghost solos' with ab initio cadets ie accompanied by an instructor on first solo due to an ongoing engine problem.

[Genghis the Engineer]

There was a UK Gyroplane instructor doing this (http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/detailedstory2?p_p_id=DetailedStory_WAR_portalsuite&p_p_lifecycle=1&p_p_state=exclusive&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-1&p_p_col_count=5&_DetailedStory_WAR_portalsuite_javax.portlet.action=doclickc ount&_DetailedStory_WAR_portalsuite_uuid=4fb21190-6a67-40c3-b8cb-80aae19fb718&_DetailedStory_WAR_portalsuite_start=1&_DetailedStory_WAR_portalsuite_category=%2FNEWS%2F&_DetailedStory_WAR_portalsuite_pubDate=2007-07-09T01%3A00%3A00Z), he ended up with at least one dead very recently ex-student (https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/ponsford-bensen-b8mr-modified-g-bigu-re-issued-report-29-june-2003), a criminal record, and the CAA took his instructors rating away from him.

I saw a few years ago that he had somehow redeemed himself in the CAA's eyes and is running a flying school again (http://www.lakedistrictgyroplanes.co.uk/) - hopefully more legitimately this time.

G