I’m Janine Canillas.

Writer, Pilot, Champion Fighter & Former Hollywood Stunt Performer

Blog : From the cockpit and beyond

Lessons from aviation, and high-pressure environments.

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AI-powered cognitive readiness for general aviation pilots.

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Finance, military, and healthcare.

From punches, planes & plotlines — Meet Janine

Imagine being set on fire, sprinting out the back door of a nightclub, and getting shot down a staircase as a vampire. That was a normal day when I worked as a stunt performer on shows like The Strain. High-pressure environments and precision under risk were simply part of the job.

Today I’m a writer, student pilot, and lifelong athlete. I’ve won the Golden Gloves boxing championship and four national titles with Canada’s WEKAF Stick and Knife Fighting Team.

I apply that mindset to my work as a senior technical writer specializing in aviation, training systems, and immersive VR environments for safety-critical operations. I translate complex engineering inputs, procedural logic, and system workflows into clear, structured, version-controlled documentation that supports training, operational readiness, and regulatory compliance. My work has included defense-aligned and highly regulated environments across aviation and financial systems.

Alongside my technical work, I’m a published writer whose journalism and essays have appeared in AOPA, The Guardian, Jewish Journal, Business Insider, and other publications. I’m also an optioned screenwriter and the recipient of the Best Comedy Short Film award. My work often sits at the intersection of storytelling and technical precision, bridging aviation, training, and immersive media.

I’m bilingual in English and French and hold certifications including DoD CUI and Azure OpenAI Service. I live in Los Angeles, where I continue to write about aviation, training systems, and emerging technologies while building new creative and technical work.

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