Why Are Horses Going To Pull an Airplane Through a Parade?

As our float joins the parade, children with limb differences can see me, someone who looks like them, celebrating what makes her different.

Jessica Cox

Friday, February 10, 2023 at 08:22 AM ET

Verified

The wrecked RV-10 fuselage that will be loaded onto a parade float wagon arrives in the new building of the Pima Community College Aviation Technology building. [Courtesy: Jessica Cox]

Key Takeaways:

Jessica Cox, Grand Marshal of the Tucson Rodeo Parade, is incorporating aviation into the non-motorized event by featuring a rehabilitated RV-10 fuselage on a historic wagon.
The RV-10 fuselage, a testbed for "The Impossible Airplane" simulator, is being prepared with assistance from the Pima Community College Aviation Technology Department.
The parade float will include nine children with limb differences dressed in flight suits, aiming to celebrate diversity and inspire them to embrace their uniqueness.
The initiative seeks to empower children with limb differences by publicly affirming their worth and combating the societal shame often associated with being different.

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My hometown, Tucson, is known in aviation as one of the best aircraft museums in the country. It is also home to the infamous boneyard, a massive collection of mothballed military aircraft. An area just north of Eloy is a paradise for parachuting. In Southern Arizona, I did my flight training, first flew solo, and finally passed my sport pilot check ride.

You may not know that Tucson is home to one of the oldest rodeos in America and the longest non-motorized parade in the world. The Tucson Rodeo Parade has been happening for 98 years, and they invited me to be the Grand Marshal on February 23. How could I accept the invitation without finding a way to include aviation?