Jessica Cox: Pilot with No Arms and Inspirational Speaker

Author: Ian C. Langtree - View Credentials
Published: 21 Apr 2009 - Updated: 28 Sep 2023
Publication Type: Informative

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Overview - Related Content

Synopsis

Born without arms Jessica Cox is the first woman pilot in aviation history to fly using her feet and inspirational speaker.

Overview

Jessica Cox is recognized around the world as an inspirational keynote speaker. Born without arms, Jessica flies planes, drives cars, and otherwise lives a normal life using her feet as others use their hands.

Today Jessica holds the titles of the first person without arms in the American Tae Kwon-Do Association to get a black belt, and the first woman pilot in aviation history to fly using her feet. (Flying with a Disability)

Jessica Cox has been featured in the popular afternoon program Ellen, hosted by Ellen Degeneres, Inside Edition, and TV networks like CNN and Fox News.

Flying with No Arms

The second daughter of a retired American music teacher and a Filipino nurse from Samar province, Jessica Cox holds the distinction of being the first woman pilot in aviation history to fly with her feet.

Creativity is something I use every time I step into the airplane.

The first challenge of flight training was learning how to buckle my seatbelt.

Through creativity and recognizing there is more than one way to do something, I figured it would be best to buckle the seatbelt first before sitting down, then loosen the straps, stand on the seat and slip into the seatbelt.

Once seated, I used my right foot to pull the seatbelt tight, securing it around my hips.

Tae Kwon-Do

Jessica was introduced to Tae Kwon-Do by her parents when she was ten to further develop her self-confidence, and at the age of 14, she earned her first black belt at the International Tae Kwon-Do Federation.

In college, she resumed her interest in martial arts, joined the American Tae Kwon-Do Association and secured a second black belt. She is the first woman without arms to achieve that feat in the United States.

Jessica Cox believes that by combining creativity, persistence, and fearlessness, nothing is impossible. In her presentation, she digs deep into her experiences living armless in a two-handed world. She shows how these three qualities helped her achieve the seemingly impossible.

Author Credentials: Ian C. Langtree is a writer, editor, and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, which he established in 2004 as one of the longest-running independent resources for disability news and information. Over more than two decades, he has written and edited thousands of articles on disability rights, health, accessibility, and assistive technology. Drawing on a global perspective shaped by extensive travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed advocate of the Social Model of Disability, the framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that focuses on removing societal barriers rather than on individual impairments. His writing is grounded in that framework and in a lasting commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.