My name is Jennifer Kanakis; 31-year-old Air Force, Airline and warbird pilot as well as mother-to-be and self-proclaimed Michelin Star pancake chef.

I started flying the summer after I graduated high school having saved a chunk of change from my job at In-N-Out Burger.  A family friend, Christopher Hicks took my father and me on an unbelievable introductory flight to Catalina Island, after which I knew I had found my calling as an aviator. Simply put, flying sounded like fun, the child in me wanted to get paid to travel the world and I had a desire to find some altruistic way to utilize aviation.

I became heavily involved in the Aviation Explorers, a youth organization designed to expose teenagers to careers in aviation. The group met at AFI Flight Training Center (AFI) in Fullerton, Ca where I soon after began working customer service and taking flying lessons to immerse myself fully into the world of aviation. I enrolled in ground school classes at a local community college and took a second customer service job at a Millionair FBO to learn more about corporate aviation.

Soon after earning my Private Certificate at 19 years old, I bought a share in a Grumman Yankee, then an IFR-equipped Cessna 172 and set my sights on the Instrument Rating. I started teaching ground schools as an Advanced Ground Instructor and worked as a contract tutor at the community college where I was finishing the AS degree in Commercial Pilot. It was then that I discovered my passion for teaching. This newly-minted pilot certificate kick started the adventures of my early 20’s.

Soon after my 20th birthday, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association France (AOPA France) announced they were in search of a young American pilot to compete in a two-week race in France to help promote general aviation to the country. With my newfound love for teaching, flying and knowledge of the French language, I applied and was selected to represent the US as the first American in the historically all-French two-week race. This trip only increased my desire for international travel and greater achievement in aviation.

Eager to experience and explore every corner of aviation, I joined nearly every organization I could find, to include the Ninety-Nines. For two years running, I had the opportunity to fly my Cessna in the San Diego Airshow in the “parade” of lady pilots. The camaraderie I found in every organization I joined cemented my love for the community who I still consider my family and encouraged the realization that the sky was my home.

At the age of 21, while having a heart and appreciation for history and antique aircraft, I found myself wide-eyed over a Douglas DC-3 that my mentor, instructor and friend, Daniel Wotring was operating for his business. He explained the qualifications necessary to be considered a candidate to fly the multi-engine tailwheel aircraft. Fueled with desire, I proceeded to finish my Commercial, Single- and Multi-Engine Certificates, High Performance Endorsement and Tailwheel Endorsement building time and tailwheel experience in a Cessna 170, Great Lakes, T-6 and Stearman. This was all thanks to the generosity of Daniel and his team for entrusting young college kids like me with these beautiful historic machines. With some round motor tailwheel time in my logbook and volunteer hours as a crew chief, I was lucky enough go be invited to attend ground school for the Douglas with the Inland Empire Wing of the Commemorative Air Force and eventually became a qualified co-pilot.

At 22, I earned the Associate of Science Degree in Commercial Pilot from Cypress College and transferred to Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s satellite campus in Walnut, Ca. At 24, I graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management and continued to fuel my love and desire for tailwheel aircraft after becoming a flight instructor. I gave tailwheel and spin training in a Citabria and Great Lakes for Aviator Flight Training at Cable Airport in Upland, Ca as well as primary instruction at AFI.

As I was nearing the end of my degree, while flight instructing and flying DC-3s, I began seeking council on my next steps to further my career. Coming from a family of military service members who I’d always held in high regard, I began pursuing military aviation through the help and mentorship of my friend Christopher Hicks.

Fast forward a few years, I became a distinguished graduate and qualified copilot on the C130J Super Hercules flying for the Channel Islands Air National Guard. I am incredibly fulfilled as a pilot in the “Herc” accomplishing the combat airlift mission of bringing “beans and bullets to the boots on the ground,” supporting my fellow service members and community through aviation.

Since then, I’ve had the privilege of working for SkyWest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aerometal International flying DC3s, added the BT-13 to my logbook, deployed with the Air National Guard, and am expecting my first child with my husband of six years.

This honor of recognition from NWOC’s Warbird 20 under 40 is a humbling award. I feel truly blessed with extraordinary friends, mentors, experiences and the love of an incredible man and fellow warbird pilot. I only hope that through my experience, I can encourage and recognize the next generation of caretakers of these pieces of living history.