On Saturday, September 8, 2018 at 11:52:48 AM UTC-5, Matt Herron (Sr) wrote:
I'm trying to put together a trip to the LAK factory in Lithuania to test fly the new MiniLAK FES, a 16.5 meter self launch that I may decide to purchase.

The folks at LAK are onboard, but the civil aviation authority in Lithuania is raising bureaucratic barriers to my flying there. They've accepted my FAA license, passport, flight logs, etc. but have balked at a letter from my physician stating that I am fit to fly gliders. They want her to sign a letter stating that my health "corresponds to the requirements of Annex 1 of the Chicago Convention."

Translation: The ICAO convention in Chicago in 1944 set standards for international air travel, including pilot medical requirements, which are detailed in ICAO Document 8984, Manual of Civil Aviation Medicine. Unfortunately, the link on the ICAO web site to this manual doesn't work, and I can't find any other way to obtain that document, so I can't even inform my doctor about what she needs to know to write that letter.

Does anyone have experience obtaining certification to fly gliders in Europe? I've had no problem flying in New Zealand, but Lithuania seems to be a special case.
Matt Herron (Sr)

I believe it's not about Lithuania, it's the European Union. Once you are approved to fly with your FAA license in Lithuania, you can fly in most, if not all, EU countries, if I'm not mistaken. Years ago Class III medical was good enough, now it results it has to be Class II. Generally, glider pilots are not exempted from medicals in Europe, like they are here in US.