On Thursday, June 4, longtime stewardess / flight attendant Susan Nolan gave not one but two presentations at the Aviation Museum of N.H., recounting laughs and memories from a long career in the skies
In her book ‘Take the Blue Line to Wonderland,’ Sue Nolan writes of the airline which once dominated the skies of New England, “Northeast Airlines was a colorful, lovable mess. Created as a plaything for a millionaire’s son, it wasn’t exactly designed for profit, but it was designed for dreams.”
On Thursday, June 4 at the Aviation Museum of N.H., Nolan spoke about the process of writing her autobiographical book and what some of her high-flying dreams were as part of the museum’s ‘Exploring Aviation’ lecture series, which is open to the public.
Nolan spoke and signed copies of her book at noon and again at 7 p.m.
Nolan began her career with Northeast Airlines at time when getting married, having a child, or reaching the age of 35 was often cause for ejection from the airline industry for stewardesses.
But Nolan weathered years of change, both within the aviation industry and in her own life, serving nearly 40 years with Delta Air Lines after the company acquired Northeast in 1972.
‘Take the Blue Line to Wonderland’ is set against the glamour and grit of the Golden Age of air travel and follows Nolan from a shy Connecticut childhood to the skies as a pioneering flight attendant, union leader, and global traveler.
Through turbulence, reinvention, love, loss, and laughter, she learns that finding your voice isn’t a single moment—it’s a lifetime of choosing forward. Copies are available at the Aviation Museum of N.H. for $14.99 each.
Below are scenes from Nolan’s visit to the Aviation Museum of N.H. Photos by Steve Heffelfinger.
Special bonus: Unveiling the museum’s newly acquired Northeast Airlines ‘Seat And A Half’
At the 7 p.m. talk, the Aviation Museum unveiled a recent acquisition: a genuine ‘Seat And A Half’ set of passenger seats used on a Northeast Airlines 727 from the late 1960s until 1972, when the carrier merged with Delta Air Lines. In the photos below, Executive Director Jeff Rapsis speaks about Northeast Airlines and the ‘Seat and A Half’ prior to their unveiling, with help of volunteer Carol Berne.
The set of preserved seats was donated to the museum by longtime Delta employee (and Manchester, N.H. native) Steve Caisse. The ‘Seat And A Half’ was introduced at a time when airfares were set by the federal government, forcing to complete on service; Northeast’s move was enough to merit coverage in the New York Times. (See in photos below.)
