He has also raced in some of the international championship races in Sweden and Germany. His planes are objects of beauty with finishes like poured plastic. One thing different on his FAI job is the addition of retracts. As far as I know they are not used here. But they are used in Japan and Europe.
Nothing ever gets simpler.
I partook in Pat Mattes Freeze Fly last month. It looked like a great success in spite of the cold, ice. Lots of flying took place. It seemed like 3 or 4 planes were in the air all the time. If you're wondering where the youngest flyers are, this seems to be the place.