Sir,

The issue is not the lack of a VFR flight plan.  The issue is someone choosing to fly a 172 to its max range in an Alaskan winter only to find himself unable to land and out of options because he is now out of gas and the WX sucks.  The VFR flight plan just gets us to the wreck, maybe.  Why don't the new 406 Mhz ELTs make lost wrecks a thing of the past.  Are pilots who don't pay for instrument ratings also not equipping their aircraft with the 406 Mhz beacon?