Lessons from an Injury
"Wind Beneath the Wing"
Due to a rare non-genetic birth abnormality, Jessica Cox was born without arms. But it hasn't stopped her from driving a car, earning a blackbelt in karate, learning to play the piano, scuba diving, or becoming the world's first licensed armless pilot.
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"Of course, the fact that I didn't have arms was seen as a handicap. But I was there to show them how incorrect they were."
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With her husband Patrick Chamberlin, she now tours the world as a motivational speaker. Jessica ask is described as friendly, cheerful, and unstoppable by her husband. Jessica was never deterred by the fact that she lacked arms as a child. She began gymnastics classes when she was three years old. She began taking tap dance lessons when she was six years old. She also dabbled in taekwondo, modeling, and swimming when she was eleven years old.
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She has tried to use prosthetic arms when she was 3-14, but she hasn't been able to do so because nothing can replace the tactile active capabilities of flesh, bone, and feet. It can't tell if anything is hot or cold, or if something is smooth or rough. She'd always been frightened of flying, despite her adventurous attitude, until she had a life-changing encounter.
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One day, she was approached by a fighter pilot who asked if she wanted to fly in a single-engine plane. She isn't a fan of that concept. She discovered an Ercoupe plane with two fewer rudder pedals on the floor in 1945, compared to other planes. That way, she could safely crisscross fly the plane with her right foot on the yoke and her left foot on the throttle. The plane had not been adapted for her in any manner.
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Her perseverance paid off in 2008, when she became the world's first licensed armless pilot. She became a certified pilot after three years, three different airplanes, three different instructors, and 80 hours of flying in separate states.
Pilot Jessica Cox was Born Without Arms. But Flying Gave Her More Than Wings
References:
BBC News. (2018, February 13). Jessica Cox: Pilot Borm Without Arms on Flying with her Feet. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/magazine-21377627
Cox, J. (n.d.). About Jessica Cox: Motivational Guest Speaker. https://www.jessicacox.com/about-jessica-cox/