Bandit 103, instumental to F-117 development, passes

  • Published
  • By Mr. Rick Shea
  • 49th Fighter Wing historian
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  In an odd twist of fate, the Air Force and the F-117A Nighthawk program lost one of its premier test pilots nearly 25 years, to the day, after his near-fatal accident while attempting to take-off on an F-117A's final acceptance test.

Lt. Col. Robert 'Bob' Riedenauer, U.S. Air Force retired, 70, passed away April 23 at his home following a lengthy battle with cancer. Coincidentally, Col. Riedenauer was to have been honored that day by the city with the naming of an F-104 aircraft after him at the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Air Force Plant 42.

Born in Fresno, Ca., in 1936, Col. Riedenauer earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University in 1967. Two years later, he graduated from the Air Force's Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Ca., beginning an illustrious test pilot career, in which he became the only test pilot to have flown the U-2 Dragon Lady, the SR-71 Blackbird and the F-117A Nighthawk.

Col. Riedenauer recalled the exact time he answered the challenge to become a test pilot. While driving east on Highway 58 just out of Mohave, Ca., he was buzzed by two jet fighters out of Edwards. At that time, he was a B-52 aircraft commander looking for a more challenging career opportunity. Those two jet fighters captured his imagination and he immediately set his sights on the USAF Test Pilot School.

As a test pilot, Col. Riedenauer conducted performance and handling quality tests on the FB-111A and various programs on the U-2. He then flew developmental flight tests on the SR-71 at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, eventually retiring from the Air Force as Chief of SR-71 Flight Test. After retirement, he went to work for Lockheed's Skunk Works Division as an engineering test pilot and later director of operations. He served as one of Lockheed's principal test pilots during the initial flight tests of the F-117A Stealth Fighter, where he earned the moniker - Bandit 103.

Ironically, on April 20, 1982, as the test pilot assigned to Lockheed's first F-117A production aircraft, 82-10785, Bandit 103 nearly lost his life when he discovered, immediately after take-off and only 30 feet off the ground, that the aircraft's pitch and yaw controls responded completely opposite of how they should have responded. The aircraft flipped violently, slamming onto the ground, trapping Col. Riedenauer in the cockpit. After being cut from the aircraft, it was discovered that he had severely broken both legs and sustained back injuries, resulting in a hospital stay that lasted seven long and painful months.

A post-accident investigation revealed that the pitch and yaw rate gyros had been crosswired, causing the aircraft's computers to auto readjust. The aircraft was a complete loss as far as the Air Force was concerned. However, remains of 785 were used to build a mounted "F-117A Gate Guard" and stands outside Lockheed-Martin's Skunk Works Division's Palmdale Plant.

While the accident may have ended Bandit 103's test pilot career, it did not end his life-long association with aviation. After his retirement from Lockheed-Martin in 1993, Col. Riedenauer served as the executive director of the Flight Test Historical Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the rich aerospace history of Edwards AFB for three years. In 2002, he was inducted into the Aerospace Walk of Honor of Lancaster, Ca.

Most recently, he served as chairman of Palmdale, Ca., Aviation and Aerospace Commission until health concerns forced his resignation. In 2005, Col. Riedenauer was named an "Eagle" by the Flight Test Historical Foundation for his work in the development of the U-2.

Col. Riedenauer was a Fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and logged more than 6,500 hours in more than 50 different aircraft, including the T-33, A/T-37, T-38, F-86, F-104, F-105, F-4, F/FB-111, F-117, SR-71, B-52 and U-2. He also flew 120 combat missions in the F-105 in Southeast Asia in 1968 and was honored with the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal with eleven oak leaf clusters and the Meritorious Service Medal.