Armless Fil-Am pilot Jessica Cox receives commendation from PHL House of Reps

Filipino-American pilot Jessica Cox, the first armless person in the world to receive a flying license, got a commendation from the House of Representatives on Tuesday for her achievements.

Clad in a Filipiniana attire, Cox received the citation from House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. during the plenary session. She was joined in the short ceremony by her husband, Patrick Chamberlain.

In her speech, the 30-year-old Cox expressed gratitude for the commendation and paid tribute to her Filipino roots. “I got my determination from the Filipino spirit of not giving up,” she said.

Belmonte lauded Cox for serving as an inspiration for Filipinos and said in a statement that the Philippines is proud of her achievements.

Born without arms, Cox learned early on to live normally using her feet – she can drive, type on a keyboard, scuba dive, dance, surf and even play the piano.

At 14, she earned her first black belt in the International Taekwondo Federation.

Her famous accomplishment was learning how to fly a plane, which earned her a Guinness World Record in 2011 for being the first armless person in the world to obtain a pilot’s license.

In 2009, Cox was named among the “100 Most Influential Filipino Women in the US” by the Filipino Women’s Network. The following year, she received the Most Watched Female Aviator at the AOPA Live Pilots Choice Award, and was cited as Most Aspirational by the Inspiration Award for Women.

Cox arrived in the Philippines last week to help victims of super Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas. Her mother hails from Guian, Eastern Samar, among areas hardest hit by the typhoon.
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On the first day of her visit, Cox flew to Tacloban to give hope and moral support to Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). — LBG, GMA News