Cecile Hatfield

Cecile Schwebel Hatfield died comfortably in her home on January 19th, 2025, in Miami, Florida. She was 93. As a pioneering woman aviator and aviation attorney in a male-dominated industry, Cecile made an indelible mark on the field of aviation law.

Born in New York, New York to Louis Schwebel and Belle Wechsler, she was raised in Lake Worth, Florida, but became a true citizen of the world.

Throughout her life, she brought joy and a zeal to everything she did. She lived a life full of excitement, travel, fashion, glamour, and through it all, she broke down barriers for women in both the legal and aviation sectors. She was a true role model and advocate for the advancement of women in the aviation industry and was the first woman to serve as Chairman of the American Bar Association’s Aviation and Space Law Committee. She was also the first woman to serve as Associate General Counsel for the Piper Aircraft Corporation.

Cecile served for nine years in the U.S. Department of Justice, where she was lead counsel for the government in complex air carrier lawsuits and oversaw client aviation attorneys at the Federal Aviation Administration. During her tenure, she won the landmark 1984 case of Varig v. United States at the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the government. Varig is one of the landmark Supreme Court cases addressing the discretionary function exception to the Federal Tort Claims Act and is cited in nearly every case addressing the issue.

In 1962, just two months after the birth of her son Andrew, Cecile took it upon herself to conquer her fear of flying. She signed up for an initial lesson at Miami’s Opa-Locka airport, turning the car around two times in fear before following through on her lesson. Cecile’s flight instructor and sometimes copilot was also a frequent copilot to Amelia Earhart. Immediately after completing her private pilot’s license in under a year, she earned her ground school instructor certificate. Cecile’s love of flying led her to join the International Organization of Women Pilots, also known as The Ninety-Nines, which was founded in 1929 and for which Amelia Earhart served as its first President. Cecile was the organization’s legal counsel until her passing.

Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Cecile participated in the annual Intercontinental Women’s Air Derby, also known as the Angel Derby. As a participant in the races, she was an unofficial goodwill ambassador, presenting letters of friendship from U.S. Presidents to their counterparts in countries across the Western Hemisphere. At an event at the White House, Vice President Hubert Humphrey once offered Cecile a job as his personal pilot.

Cecile graduated from the University of Florida in 1952, shortly after the University became fully co-educational in 1947, where she is enshrined in the University’s Hall of Fame. She graduated from the University of Miami’s School of Law in 1975.

Throughout her life, she has received numerous honors and awards, including the 2015 Aviation Industry Woman of Excellence Award from the International Association of Women in Aviation (IAWA). She served as the organization’s Secretary, Chair of the Scholarship Committee, and Chair of the Advisory Board. The Award for Excellence in Aviation Law, presented by Embry-Riddle’s Aviation Law and Insurance Symposium, is named in her honor. The award is given to a recipient who embodies the highest standard of excellence in aviation law. She was the award’s first recipient in 2009.

Hatfield has lectured and written articles on aviation and litigation for the American Bar Association, Lawyer Pilots Bar Journal, Practicing Law Institute, SMU Journal of Air Law and Commerce, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Lloyds of London Press Aviation Symposium, the Pennsylvania and Florida Bar Associations, and the University of Miami School of Law. She served on the Editorial Board of the Aviation Litigation Reporter and has served as Editor of the Newsletter for the ABA Forum Committee on Air and Space Law.

Outside of aviation and law, Cecile’s love of fashion and movies propelled her into a short career as a model for an Italian fashion designer and an actress. She once starred as Miss Ziegfeld in the Ziegfeld Follies, appeared in television commercials for the Arthur Godfrey and Garry Moore Shows, and even had a small role in Frank Sinatra’s 1959 movie A Hole in the Head.

Cecile Hatfield’s impact on aviation law and the path she trailblazed for women pilots and lawyers will be felt for generations. She is survived by her daughter, Laurie Bauman, her grandchildren, Bradley Bauman (Autumn Campbell), Brooke (Bauman) Mount (Will), and Brett Bauman, and her great-grandchildren, Jayce Bauman, Jay Bauman, Liam Mount, and Charlotte Mount.