An Armless Woman Flies Plane with her feet
An Arizona woman has become the first licensed pilot in the US without arms after she learned to fly a plane with her feet.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Jessica Cox, 36, from Phoenix, was born with a rare condition that caused her to not develop her upper limbs in the womb.
She learned to use her feet to do everything from play piano, drive a car, become a certified scuba diver, and earn a third-degree black belt in taekwondo, reported CNN.
But perhaps Cox’s greatest accomplishment is becoming certified to fly a single engine plane, and she says she hopes to inspire others with disabilities by showing they too can accomplish anything.
Cox told CNN that doctors were never been able to understand why she didn’t develop arms in her mother’s womb. No previous scans had showed something was wrong.
‘My mom had a normal pregnancy,’ she told the network. ‘And then on the day of my birth, it was an absolute shock to both of my parents…when the doctor brought me over saying: “Your baby doesn’t have any arms.”‘
Although it has never been confirmed, Cox was likely born with amelia, a rare condition in which one or more limbs doesn’t form.
She does not like using prosthetic arms and prefers to use her feet. she used to be petrified of airplanes until the pilot of a small plane invited her up to the cockpit.
‘I wanted so much to be normal, and I was told too often that I couldn’t do something or that I was handicapped,’ she told CNN. ‘I absolutely resented the word “handicap”.’
Despite learning how to use prosthetic arms, Cox said she didn’t like using them and preferred to use her feet.
Cox told CNN that she used to be incredibly frightened of airplanes until the pilot of a small plane invited her up to the cockpit.
‘The pilot brought me to the front of the plane. The plane has dual controls,’ she said.
‘He took his hands off of the control and let me do the flying. Even if something is scary to you, it’s important that we face it.’ She said.
