Armless female pilot to speak in Stafford

FALMOUTH George Dennehy, 15, of Hanover County plays the cello and is first chair in his high school's orchestra. His younger brother James, 14, is an honors student at Oak Knoll Middle School.

Jessica Cox, a 26-year-old motivational speaker from Tucson, Ariz., flies airplanes.

The brothers have never met Cox, but all three have at least one thing in common: They were all born with no arms.

The boys will meet Cox tomorrow at a fundraising event in Falmouth.

"George and James are very excited about meeting Jessica," said the boys' mother, Sharon Dennehy.

Their meeting will take place courtesy of the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1099, which typically hosts a pancake breakfast every year to raise money for its organization.

But this year's event will be a little different.

After the flapjack fundraiser, which will be at Stafford Regional Airport from 8 to 11 a.m., attendees will travel to Stafford High School. There, they will listen to a presentation by Cox, the first female pilot in aviation history to fly with her feet.

Scott Huff, vice president of the EAA chapter, said that after hearing about Cox, members knew her story would be inspiring to more than the pilots and aviation buffs who make up the chapter.

"Here's someone that . . . has not only overcome some of the normal obstacles of getting involved in aviation, she's overcome physical obstacles as well," Huff said. "Even without the aviation connection, I think her story is one everyone can benefit from."

All proceeds from the fundraiser, at which donations will be accepted, will benefit the disAbility Resource Center of Fredericksburg.

"From what I have read, she is an amazing woman. Not having arms and still being able to drive and fly, it's just amazing," said Shawn Lawrence, community actions specialist with the disAbility Resource Center. "And it just goes to show that people with disabilities have skills. . . . It just means you make better use out of what you do have."

Doctors don't know the cause of Cox's rare congenital condition, according to the speaker's Web site. Since infancy, she has used her feet as others use their hands.

She learned to feed herself and to write. As a child, she took gymnastics and dance classes. In college, she earned her second black belt in tae kwon do.

She uses her toes and feet to type, brush her hair and even put in her contacts. She drives on an unrestricted license, and a year ago, she became licensed to fly a sport plane.

"Ever since I was younger flying commercially, I was just terrified. . . . It's the one thing I had a fear of, which is pretty funny because I'm a pretty fearless person," Cox said in a telephone interview. "Eleanor Roosevelt said to identify your greatest fear and walk directly at it, and that's the case for me and flying."

Tomorrow, Cox will talk about turning "impossible" into "accomplishment," she said.

"The presentation is going to be about how the only limitations we have are the ones we create," she said.

She will also meet George and James, who, like Cox, have learned to use their toes like fingers.

Mike and Sharon Dennehy adopted George from Romania when he was 1, and James from India when he was 2. They are the parents of 10 children -- three biological and seven adopted.

In addition to playing the cello, George has taught himself to play the guitar and electric bass, his mother said. He also plays and sings with the youth worship band at New Hanover Presbyterian Church.

"Getting to witness an armless pilot in action is above and beyond his wildest dreams," Sharon Dennehy said.

Said Cox: "I'm just living my life through my own eyes, my own feet. When I see someone else do things with their feet, it's a reminder of how it looks to other people. It's different for me to be the observer than the person actually doing it."

If the event's planners have their way, then the boys will have a chance to go for a plane ride -- with Cox as the pilot.

"I think we can be equally inspiring to each other," Cox said. "I'm just thrilled to meet them."

Andrea Russell is a copy editor at the News & Messenger in Woodbridge.