Tom,

without rancor or name calling, I think the committee probably decided
that ELTs mitigate the potential strain put on race organizers in the
event a pilot does not return at the end of the day. In this case, the
opinions of pilots are less sound than the experiences of contest staff
who have been left with the task of organizing search efforts. The loss
of Peter Masak this past summer further highlighted this. Peter was ELT
equipped. Thus, the search was completed in about 18 hours. It might
have been much, much longer.