Last October, a first Dutch F-35A to be permanently stationed at Leeuwarden arrived at the base in the north of the country. At the controls was Lt Col Ian ‘Gladys’ Knight, who talked to Bob Fischer about Dutch F-35 numbers and dogfighting in the stealth warplane.
![Dutch F-35 Interview [Frank Crebas] #1](https://fullfatthings-keyaero.b-cdn.net/sites/keyaero/files/styles/article_body/public/inline-images/01A%20F35Interview.jpg?itok=RmxqTP1S)
Lt Col Ian ‘Gladys’ Knight poses in front of ‘his’ F-35A F-002 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Knight is currently commander of 3XX Squadron, the ‘shadow’ identity of the future 322 Squadron at Leeuwarden. All photos Frank Crébas unless stated
Lt Col Ian ‘Gladys’ Knight is among the initial cadre of Koninklijke Luchtmacht (Royal Netherlands Air Force, RNLAF) pilots to fly the F-35A, a first example of which he flew from the Final Assembly and Check-Out (FACO) line in Cameri, Italy, to Leeuwarden Air Base last October 31.
Knight’s sur
