A Thrilling Landing, Followed by a Shocking Twist

A pilot’s first landing at KJFK is nerve-wracking enough, but what happened after the landing shocked everyone.

Jessica Cox

Friday, May 13, 2022 at 10:54 AM ET

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The author taxiing by the tower at KJFK. [Photo: Blue Slate]

Key Takeaways:

The author embarked on a challenging cross-country flight in an Ercoupe to KJFK to host a "Limb Different Airport Day," aiming to inspire children with disabilities through aviation.
Extensive coordination with KJFK airport authorities was necessary to permit the slow-landing Ercoupe to operate safely at the major airport, even involving rerouting jet traffic.
After a successful and inspiring event for the children, the Ercoupe was unexpectedly damaged by jet blast from a departing business jet but sustained only minor, repairable damage.
Despite the incident, the mission was deemed a success, having achieved its goal of sparking confidence in the participating children.

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Earlier this spring, we set out to take the Ercoupe cross-country to inspire kids with disabilities for the third year in a row. This year, I would be in New York to speak at an annual convention for SITA Aero. SITA provides software and IT systems for airports and aircraft globally. When they heard about our work at Rightfooted Foundation, my nonprofit that aims to inspire children through aviation, they wanted to sponsor a Limb Different Airport Day. I would fly into KJFK in the Ercoupe to visit with a group of children and people with disabilities.

First, I did not have permission to fly into a Class Bravo primary airport as a sport pilot. Plus, the Ercoupe’s home base is Tucson, where I live, so it would be at least a five-day journey to KJFK.