Ian Cant wrote:
The UK requirements are quite explicit - essentially,
you need a simple self-declaration form but it must
be countersigned by a UK doctor 'who has seen and read
your entire medical history'. This is probably unlikely
for a US resident. There does not appear to be any
way around this.

This rule is a BGA rule, and so the BGA could decide what you would need
to provide to satisfy them. Email them at .

The relevant form which needs to be countersigned by a doctor is
downloadable from http://www.gliding.co.uk/bgainfo/medical.htm (for some
reason the form refers to NPPL and ballooning, but it is the right form
- I renewed mine recently and checked this with the BGA).

The relevant standard is that your doctor knows of no reason why you are
not medically fit to drive a car.

I'd suggest that you ask the BGA whether such a signed certification
from your US doctor would satisfy them - if so, take their email plus
the signed medical form to the gliding club and hey presto!

Wherever you fly, you should take a winch launch if that's not available
to you in the States - Cambridge has both winch and aerotow, as do all
the other nearby clubs I can think of.