Jessica Cox

Born in 1983 in Sierra Vista, Arizona, Jessica Cox has learned to live her life with her feet. There were many questions at the time about whether Cox would be able to live a “normal” life. However, Cox’s father has said he never shed a tear about her birth condition. He had full confidence in her potential. With the support of her parents and family, Cox became confident in herself as an adult and continued to explore the world with her feet.

At the age of 14, Cox earned her first black belt in the International Taekwondo Federation. After graduating from high school, Cox attended the University of Arizona, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. When talking about her degree, she frequently explains that psychology credits the way people think with having a greater impact on their lives than a physical limitation. During college, Cox joined an ATA Martial Arts club and became the first armless person to earn a black belt in the ATA.

Cox’s most famous accomplishment was learning how to fly. It took three states, four airplanes,three flight instructors, and three years to find the right aircraft: a 1946 415C Ercoupe Airplane. In 2008 Cox earned her Light Sport Pilot Certificate. She received the Guinness World Record for being the first person certified to fly an airplane with only their feet in 2011.

In May 2012, Cox married in the beautiful city of South Pasadena, CA. In the fall of that same year, she became a Goodwill Ambassador for Humanity & Inclusion, a Nobel Peace Prize winning NGO, and advocated for disability rights in Ethiopia, the Philippines, Nepal, and the US Senate.

Flying continues to be a passion for Cox as she attends many of the largest aviation events in the world. Along the way, she has been recognized for numerous awards, including Woman of the Year from the Tucson Hispanic Chamber, an honorary doctorate from Universidad Santander in 2023, and a distinguished speaker award from Egypt’s President at the World Youth Forum in 2019.

In 2019, a generous fan donated a 1946 415C Ercoupe with tail number N26R (“two-six-romeo”) for Cox’s use. With an 85 horsepower engine, two seats for a pilot and a copilot/passenger, a cruising speed of around 90 miles per hour, and a flying time of a little over three hours, N26R is a fair-weather airplane designed primarily for local daytime flights. Because of the performance limitations, Cox plans to build The Impossible Airplane, a 200 mph four-seat RV-10 airplane with custom controls for Cox to use.