Evel Knievel's steam rocket had a parachute on board as the sole landing system. Without the parachute, his rocket would've pile drived straight into the ground. Even Knievel wasn't that crazy. His parachute didn't just save his life, it also caused the attempt to fail. The parachute deployment cover was ripped off on takeoff and the chute began deploying before the rocket had cleared the launch rail.

Lindbergh didn't carry a parachute because he couldn't afford the weight. That parachute would've cost him 3-4 gallons of fuel. He believed the gas was more important for safety than the chute. It was a practical solution - there wouldn't have been much opportunity for him to bail out and survive anyway, especially over the Atlantic. Lindbergh was very familiar with parachutes and their limitations. He'd used one on four separate occasions to save his life prior to his Atlantic flight.