There's a personality type that won't be convinced. I stopped to talk to a pilot who was launching on a wave day at Minden. Foehn gap was dynamic, tentacles moving and reaching in with drizzle earlier as I drove north on Foothill to Minden airport. The gap, and a lone sucker hole about half way to the Pinenuts, were the only holes through an otherwise solid deck at about 9,000'.

He was the only one launching in his Carat. I'd asked him before about no chute, said they were uncomfortable, I suggested he sit in my glider to see what he thought - he countered, "You don't use a chute in your Mooney, do you? Well, my Carat is certified too".

He was relatively new to soaring, so I cautioned him about going above and leaving the gap. He said he wouldn't do that as he didn't have O2 because of a slow leak - he declined my offer to fill his tank. There was more, but to keep it short . . . he died that day as I was eating lunch at the Taildragger. He was a retired airline pilot, lot's of experience but no attitude gyro. Kept his GPS off in the side pocket until he needed it. He went IMC. The debris field was 5 miles long. My golden retriever and I would be the last to ever greet him.

Really good pilots don't need Flarm. Don't need a chute either. He was not THAT good.