Meet Jessica Cox, world’s first licensed armless pilot

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8) — Did you know that the world’s first licensed armless pilot has a Filipino blood?

Jessica Cox is a Filipino-American motivation speaker and founder of nonprofit Rightfooted Foundation for people with disabilities. Not only that, she holds a Guinness World Record as the world’s first armless person certified to fly a plane.

Speaking to CNN Philippines’ New Day on Tuesday, Cox talked about Project 2025, whose purpose is to customize an RV-10 that can be controlled by foot, not only to address her special needs, but to also spread the message across the globe that “disability does not mean inability.”

“It’s a pretty ambitious goal for anyone,” she revealed. “I’ve been flying now for many years but it’s very uncomfortable the way in which I fly. I’ve been inspired to build an airplane that can be flown with just feet, to get the message out that disability does not mean inability.”

“This will be the first ever in history,” she also said. “It will be very unique and I will be able to take it and continue my mission and vision.”

According to Cox, Project 2025 entails around 2,000 hours of work as they customize and source for materials from different countries.

“One of the assembly factories is in the Philippines,” disclosed Cox, who was born without arms due to a rare birth defect. “Some of the critical parts will be made, like the wings, in the Philippines.”

“A team along with myself, we will put these airplane parts together to finish the RV-10 and obviously the whole goal is to be able to fly it to places and to inspire so many,” she added.

Cox also said the aircraft that they are building will have four seats with a speed of 320 kilometers per hour, a lot faster than her current plane, a 1946 ERCO Ercoupe 415-C which can fly at 140 kph.

“The speed will be better so we can do more of these trips, that’s what we hope to do, to fly to more places, perhaps fly to the Philippines!’ shared the 39-year-old Arizona-born Fil-Am, who is also the first armless black-belt in the American Taekwondo Association.

“That would be the dream, to eventually fly it there and inspire the people there that they can achieve their own impossible,” she noted.