Jessica Cox: The World's First Armless Pilot | TEDxSouthCapitolSt

Born without arms, the world's first armless pilot, Jessica Cox, flies airplanes, drives cars, and otherwise lives a normal life using her feet as others use their hands. She holds the Guinness World Record for being the first armless person in aviation history to become a certified pilot. Her life story shows the power of innovation. 

The doctors don't exactly know why Jessica Cox was born without arms. Sonograms and other prenatal tests did not reveal this rare congenital condition. However, from infancy her feet became her hands. Like all children, she went through the various stages of development. She learned to feed herself and write with her feet. Jessica Cox has famously eliminated the words “I can’t” from her vocabulary. Despite being born without arms due to a birth defect, she has never allowed that to be a limiting factor. Throughout childhood, she participated in many activities, including swimming, gymnastics, and tap dancing. Jessica started Tae Kwon-Do when she was ten, earning her first black belt at fourteen in the International Tae Kwon-Do Federation. She rejoined American Tae Kwon-Do Association in college and earned a second black belt.