Jessica Cox, born in 1983: what makes her stand out is that she is the world’s first armless, abled aviator.
The following written content by Jamie Jones
“Handicaps are mindsets. Whatever it is that stands in the way of achieving something, that’s when it’s a handicap. I prefer to see them as obstacles or challenges. This is how I’ve been my whole life. I don’t know any different. I just live my life through my feet.”
Born in 1983, Jessica Cox is part of a small group of women pilots, only about 6% of non-commercial pilots in the US are women. But what makes her stand out is that she is the world’s first armless, abled aviator. Born without arms, Cox never let her disability become her disadvantage. She learned at a young age how to use her feet as her hands. She was frustrated and would act out because she did not have arms. She confesses that she was a “bratty child,” and just could not understand why she did not have arms when her older brother, her younger sister, and her parents all had arms. At the beginning of eight grade, after eleven years of wearing prosthetic arms, she decided to be “the real Jessica” and ditch her arms. This was the start of her new life and the start of new beginnings.
During recess, she loved swinging because it was something that she could control and imagine flying over everything. This launched her imagination and determination to become a pilot. She knew that if she were able to become a pilot, she could have her freedom, and literally fly over everyone. She started Tae Kwan Doe when she was 10, and advanced quickly, earning a black belt when she was 14. After college, Cox continued practicing and met Patrick Chamberlain, who she married in 2012.
Her journey to become a pilot started after she gave a speech to a Rotary chapter where Robin Stoddard invited her to participate in his nonprofit organization, Wright Flight. This was going to give her the opportunity to fly with the organization. Read more from Smithsonian.
