Kanaga took his first flight in a Beech Staggerwing as a child. After graduating from Derby High School in 1943, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. Kanaga flew the P-47 Thunderbolt, in Guam, and p-51 Mustangs and F-48 fighters in the Korean War. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart and the Air Medal. In 1953, at Luke Air Force Base, Kanaga was selected for a new U.S. Air Force aerial demonstration team called the Thunderbirds. He flew the F-84 in the rear slot position. Kanaga helped design the close formation maneuvers still used today in Thunderbird air shows.