Jessica Cox/Submitted photo

(KAIR)--The first armless pilot in aviation history has been selected as the 2018 Pioneering Achievement Award recipient by Atchison's Amelia Earhart Festival.

A news release issued Monday says Jessica Cox was chosen for that honor, which is presented annually in conjunction with the July festival held to honor famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart, who was born in Atchison.

The news release says Cox, who was born without arms, earned a Guinness World Record medal for her accomplishments as an aviator.

She serves as the Goodwill Ambassador for the Nobel Prize winning NGO Humanity and Inclusion, and mentors children with limb difference.

Along with flying, Cox slacklines and is a rock climber.

In the news release, Festival Coordinator Jacque Pregont and Festival Chair Karen Seaberg jointly state that Cox “fits the criteria of the Pioneering Achievement Award perfectly,” as an honoree “must demonstrate triumph over adversity, reinforce the image of self-worth and self-confidence in young women, and demonstrate that for any woman, the sky is no longer the limit.”

Cox will receive the award at the Pioneering Achievement Award Luncheon on July 21, and will serve as the featured speaker at the noon-hour event, held in the Benedictine College Dining Hall.

Tickets to attend are $20, and reservations can be made by calling the Atchison Area Chamber of Commerce.

Cox that same morning at 10:00 will take part in the Speaker's Symposium, held in the O'Malley McAllister Auditorium on the BC campus.

As a recipient of the Pioneering Achievement Award, Cox will receive the “Amelia” bronze, and a $10,000 scholarship will be awarded to an institution of her choice, in her name, to encourage and support young women.