Kelli Canup

Kelli is a professional pilot, certified flight instructor and full-time mom. Early in her career, Kelli served as a flight attendant for United Airlines but soon realized she was more fascinated with what was happening in the cockpit. She accomplished her training at Comair Aviation Academy, earning all of her ratings in just 10 months. After two and a half years as a flight instructor, Kelli was hired by Comair Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Airlines, where she flew as a commercial pilot for five years.

She now calls Wilmington, NC, home, where she has been a flight instructor since 2015. She has accumulated over 5,500 hours of total flight time, including over 2,500 with commercial airlines and 2,100 of dual instruction. Kelli also serves the Wilmington general aviation community by serving as the local Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team (FAAST) representative. Her dedication to aviation safety is one of her passions, and she is committed to helping to improve the nation’s aviation accident rate by conveying safety principles through training, outreach, and education. 

Kelli has two children and is married to fellow aviation professional, Eric Canup, Chief Pilot and Director of Flight Operations for Live Oak Bank. She received a BA degree in Physiology and Psychology from St. Mary’s College in California.