Eliminate ‘we can’t do it’ and ‘I can’t’ from vocabulary – Cox
Jessica Cox, the world’s first person to earn a pilot’s licence without arms, who was in Sri Lanka recently, says motivating differently-abled people is a priority for her.
 |
“I have been given many opportunities in my life. Everyone has the ability to achieve all that they want to accomplish but it is even more important to have the love and confidence and acceptance in our individual selves,” said Cox, 28.
“I do not have arms but that is not what determines where I can go. We all have the same potential within us.
Unfortunately some of us are not aware of that and limit ourselves by saying, ‘We can’t do it’ ‘I can’t’ are two words that need to be eliminated from our vocabulary.
“I am travelling the world to share my motivational message. My future plan is to start a nonprofit organisation for differently-abled children,” she said.
She was in Sri Lanka recently to take part in the CIMA Business Leaders Summit in Colombo. She took three years to earn her licence under teacher Parrish Traweek’s guidance on how to control the Ercoupe 415 plane with her feet.
The Ercoupe is one of the few airplanes to be made and certified without pedals.
Without rudder pedals, Cox is free to use her feet as hands. She is qualified to fly a light-sport aircraft to altitudes of 10,000 feet. She can take off, land and even deal with turbulence.
“Flying an air plane with my feet was challenging but things became easier with practice. Landing was the most difficult part. Nothing is impossible if you have creativity, persistence, and fearlessness,” said the Arizona born psychology graduate.
Cox has many other incredible feats to her name. She has two black-belts in Taekwondo, she is a certified scuba diver and the founder of Jessica Cox Motivational Services.