By Barbara A. Schmitz
To say Jessica Cox, of Tucson, Arizonia, has a can-do attitude is a massive understatement. She was born without arms and learned to do things with her feet that many people think can’t be done.
“Before I had LASIK surgery, I used to put contacts in my eyes with my feet,” she said. “It’s that precision with my feet that people can’t conceptualize. But I’ve lived with using my toes as my fingers my whole life.”
Jessica earned her sport pilot certificate in 2008 and first came to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2009. “I didn’t know anything about the aviation world,” she recalled. “But people were stopping me, saying congratulations, and I thought, wow, I’m a celebrity here.”
She said she wasn’t prepared for the newfound status at AirVenture. “I’ve been doing what I do my whole life — earning my black belt and a degree in college and now, flying an airplane. Aviation just became one of those things that happened. But being in Oshkosh brought an awareness to me of how important messaging is.”
Now a worldwide motivational speaker who has presented in 29 countries, she acknowledged that aviation gave her the initial launch. She was back in Oshkosh on Monday, speaking to a packed forum audience about the importance of being fearless and adaptable, as well as advocating for disabilities. “Disability doesn’t mean inability,” she said.
Jessica said the average individual in many countries doesn’t have the opportunity to fly. “So it’s so shocking for them to hear that I can do it without arms. In too many places, there is a stigma of having a disability. But when they hear what I can do … they think that maybe there are capabilities of others they are overlooking.”
She said she has two passions, aviation and nonprofit work. She started the Rightfooted Foundation International as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to equip children born with bilateral limb difference with the skills and tools needed to live independent and fulfilling lives. She flies a modified 1946 Ercoupe 415-C to promote the mission of the foundation.
But soon she will have another airplane to support her foundation’s mission. EAA Chapter 898, in Ocean County, New Jersey, has volunteered to build her an RV-10 that will be modified for foot controls in the pilot seat. “It hasn’t been done before,” Jessica said, noting that they are working with Mach 1 and pilot Joe Getz on the engineering. “But we need support, we need sponsors, we need people to get behind us, like [more] engineers ….”
Jessica said the RV-10 modification project is more than a nonprofit project. “It’s something for all of aviation, and it can really push the limits of what people think is possible.”
She hopes the airplane can be completed by 2028 so she can fly it over the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. “This isn’t just me flying, but pilots of other disabilities as well,” she said. “We want to challenge people’s perception and inspire young people, especially young people with disabilities.”