Another incentive might be to charge lost pilots a finder's fee equal
to the effort required to find them. Tow plane hours, search crews,
office staff spending the night on site by the phone, CAP, local polie,
etc. Demonstrating a willingness to invest in your own search and
rescue by purchasing and installing an ELT would exempt you from these
charges.

If, however, we're looking for a handout, can I have my parachute
subsidized as well?

I guess I'm jaded. The other day I was considering the cost/value of a
suit at Nordstrom. It suddenly occurred to me that I don't bat an eye
when purchasing glider equiptment at three times the price. $1K for a
406 MHz ELT is peanuts in competitive gliding. Of course, no one is
asking you to purchase a reliable ELT... just an apporved on. If you're
whining about $300 then you're whining just for the sake of hearing
your own voice.

I've flown for almost three decades WITHOUT an ELT (regardless of
price) because I know that the economically-priced 121.5 units had
serious flaws. But the new 406 units have demonstrated themselves worth
the money, and with a GPS interface might even provide for resuce. We
have an obligation to those who come looking for us to reduce their
exposure to mishap by providing the best possible tracking available at
reasonable cost.

That some pilots don't care what becomes of their bones is their
business. That they don't care about those who'll come looking for them
is unacceptable. Such pilots have no place in organized comptetition. I
think that's the message.