In a special photo op, award winners Bill Abbatt (left) and Steve Chait (right) flank FAA Inspector Patrick Ryan in front of the Beechcraft Debonair.
Photo by Michael Chait
By Tom Kirvan
Legal News
For good reason, attorneys Bill Abbatt and Steve Chait can now be mentioned in the same breath as the Wright Brothers, the American aviation pioneers who have been credited with building and flying the world’s first airplane in 1903.
Their kinship with the famed airplane inventors became official – during a Zoom ceremony, no less – in May 2021 when they each received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, a coveted honor presented by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The honor represents “the most prestigious award the FAA issues to certified pilots,” according to Abbatt, recognizing “individuals who have exhibited professionalism, skill, and aviation expertise for at least 50 years.”
The “skill” that must be demonstrated by all award recipients comes in the form of being “accident-free” for all those years of flying, no small feat for pilots who constantly must deal with the unpredictability of the skies.
Those considered for the award also must submit three letters of recommendation from pilots, according to Abbatt, a longtime patent attorney at the Brooks Kushman firm in Southfield. Among those who offered a letter of support for Abbatt was John Gostinger, who on April 10, 1971 became Bill’s first flight instructor.
In the context of the letter, Gostinger offered his own form of praise, lauding his former student in an especially compelling way.
“Congratulations, you flew by the rules and you didn’t hurt anybody or break anything,” Gostinger wrote in his own inimitable terms. “To qualify for this award, the FAA says that you must have been a pilot . . . with no accidents or violations. That means that the REAL requirements are that you must be OLD and LUCKY.”
Gostinger, as a Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award recipient himself, knows of what he speaks, as do the other letter writers, Deacon Brian Carroll and Chait, both of whom also wear the treasured pin presented to honorees.
Chait, an aviation attorney in Waterford, wrote the third letter on Abbatt’s behalf. The two met while attending the Detroit College of Law in the mid-1980s and cemented their friendship a decade ago when Abbatt bought half ownership in Chait’s beloved Beechcraft Debonair single-engine aircraft.
“Steve became eligible for this award in 2019,” Abbatt said of his longtime friend. “He waited for me to become eligible so that we could participate in the award ceremony together.” So, in May 2021, the two lawyers extended their high-flying partnership to receive a high-flying accolade – the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.
A pilot since he was a teen in his hometown of Oak Park, Chait spent 10 years working in aviation before enrolling at DCL. After earning his law degree, Chait joined the law firm of Sullivan Ward where for 15 years he melded his legal education with his experience as a pilot in the practice of aviation law.
Now, as head of his own firm that is located in the shadows of Oakland County International Airport, Chait recently began serving his fifth one-year term as the chair of the Aviation Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan.
“No one in the history of the Aviation Law Section has ever been elected to that many terms, so we're making history here,” he said with a smile.
While normally the Wright Brothers Award ceremony is an in-person celebration replete with champagne toasts and fancy hors d’oeuvres, the 2021 version had a different look about it due to the lingering impact of the pandemic.
“About 50 people joined the event (by Zoom),” said Abbatt, a native of Great Britain who came to the U.S. in the late 1960s to work on the college graduate program at Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn. “They included friends, colleagues, and family members. One checked in from England. Others checked in from various parts of the U.S. and Canada. With an open microphone, several participants joined in various roasts. Without Zoom, participation would likely not have been as widespread. It meant a lot to Steve and me that folks took time from their busy lives to participate.”
To Abbatt’s surprise, there was an “unscripted slide show before the assembled audience,” offering him a visual trip down memory lane during his time as a pilot. In addition, Abbatt’s family presented him with a freshly minted Shinola “Mad Dog” clock, made from the polished aluminum skin of an original American Airlines MD-80.
A few weeks after the ceremony, Abbatt and Chait dusted off their Debonair and flew over southeast Michigan, soaking up the sights and splendors of a late spring landscape.
“Folks sometimes ask why I like to fly,” Abbatt related. “Apropos of the award, here’s a quote attributed to the Wright Brothers that sums it up nicely:
“There is no sport equal to that which aviators enjoy while being carried through the air on great white wings. More than anything else, the sensation is one of perfect peace mingled with an excitement that strains every nerve to the utmost if you can conceive of such a combination.”
Those words, uttered more than a century ago, still carry present-day weight, according to Abbatt, who still is enjoying the afterglow of an award ceremony in which the legacies of the Wright Brothers richly resonate.
“In life, there are few occasions, except for a wake or in a courtroom, when many people get together and the focus is on you,” Abbatt remarked. “For Steve and me, the award ceremony was special – a once-in-a-lifetime event that we will remember for years.”
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