The Best Years of Flying: A Memoir of Howard Hughes & TWA

Indie Excellence Book Award Finalist Award Winning Finalist USA Best Book Awards While the rest of the world sat in soda shops listening to Elvis and wearing poodle skirts, author Dee Merian was flying the skies with Trans World Airlines having an adventure of a lifetime. From the fanciest hotels in Frankfurt to ski resorts around the world, this airline stewardess met most of Hollywood’s elite including Marilyn Monroe, Florence Henderson, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Louis Jourdan, Jose Farrar, Nat King Cole, and Samuel Goldwyn. Her global adventures include the history of airline travel and the business prowess of Howard Hughes. What People Say The days of TWA that Dee Merian writes about were some of the most glamorous and adventurous of the time. Howard Hughes was a good friend from my Hollywood days; I’ll bet I’m one of a few women he let fly his DC3. Dee’s book will bring similar memories to life for the reader, too. —Barbara Lawrence, actress and author In The Best Years of Flying, Dee Merian tells of her time as a flight attendant aboard Trans World Airlines from 1952-1960. From the aisles of the Lockheed Constellation Super G 1649 planes, Merian criss-crosses the country weaving together stories of her time in the sky, the friends she made along away, the experiences they all shared, and her unique perspective on Howard Hughes’ rise to prominence during the early days of commercial air travel —Barry Kaufman, Managing Editor, Hilton Head Monthly Magazine In The Best Years of Flying, Dee Merian tells of her time as a flight attendant aboard Trans World Airlines from 1952-1960. From the aisles of the Lockheed Constellation Super G 1649 planes, Merian criss-crosses the country weaving together stories of her time in the sky, the friends she made along away, the experiences they all shared, and her unique perspective on Howard Hughes’ rise to prominence during the early days of commercial air travel –Barry Kaufman, Managing Editor, Hilton Head Monthly Magazine  About the Author Dee Merian was a member of the Writers and Film Association of South Carolina. She earned a Masters Degree from New York University and a certificate of writing from Iowa University. She worked as an airline hostess, nurse, dietitian, New York City food broker and college professor. It has been from these experiences that she drew her award winning non-fiction stories. She is the author of four books. She lived on a South Carolina low county island, and  divided her time writing for travel magazines and working as a production assistant for the South Carolina Film Association. Dee Merian passed away in 2013.