Jessica Cox
(born 1983 in Arizona) is the world's first licensed armless pilot, as
well as the first armless black-belt in the American Taekwondo
Association (she now has two black belts in Taekwondo). She was born
without arms due to a rare birth defect. She earned her pilot's license
on October 10, 2008, after three years of training, and is qualified to
fly a light-sport aircraft to altitudes of 10,000 feet; she received her
training through an Able Flight scholarship. Cox has not used
prosthetic arms since she turned 14. Using her feet as most people use
their hands, she is able, among other things, to drive a car (she has an
unrestricted license and drives a car without modifications), to type
on a keyboard (25 words per minute), to pump her own gas, and to put in
and remove her contact lenses. She is also a certified SCUBA diver. Cox
holds a Bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Arizona
and works as a motivational speaker.
