by UFO History Buff & Author, Charles Lear
On January 20, 2026, Francis Lee Ridge passed away. His contributions to UFO investigation and research spanned six decades, and thanks to his efforts, a treasure trove of historical UFO-related material is available to anyone with an internet connection.
According to Ridge’s bio at nicap.org, he was born on October 13, 1942. In 1960, he became an active investigator as head of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena Indiana Subcommittee and remained in that position until 1970.
In 1970, Ridge began a project called MADAR (Multiple Anomaly Detection and Automatic Recording) which he continued throughout his life. He created detection and recording systems to gather data on geomagnetic, electromagnetic, and background radiation anomalies and monitored them at his home in Newburgh, Indiana.
In April 2016, “a new idea was conceived to create a network of affordable devices.” This resulted in the creation of the MADAR-III DataProbe system with the help of MADAR member Rich Vitello and his team at ARUFON after a “costly and disastrous false start” in the fall. By May 2018, the system was operational, and as of 2023, there was a network operating with 221 members operating 168 sites (56 of which were “DAS-equipped”) throughout the world.
In 1972, Ridge became Indiana state section director for the Mutual UFO Network and state director in 1986. He was also a field investigator for the Center for UFO Studies. He investigated hundreds of cases and created the Regional Sighting Information Database which, as of the last update in 2023, had 4,000 entries covering the area of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. He also ran the UFO Filter Center doing computer studies on regional and nationwide sightings.
In 1997, Ridge was authorized to start work on a website for NICAP. The site contains a wealth of information for historical researchers including NICAP casefiles, biographies, chronologies, publications, documents, and links to other resources.
Ridge was project coordinator for The Nuclear Connection Project, which focused on UFO reports around nuclear sites, and in 2006, he led a re-investigation into the Mantell case which concluded that “Mantell was chasing a real UFO.” The report in book form, titled The Mantell Incident: Anatomy of a Re-Investigation was published in 2010.
Along with a link below the bio to the Mantell book, there is a link to his 1994 book Regional Encounters: The UFO Center Files, and his 2021 book CAP POINT: A series of staggering events with global implications for everyone on planet earth.
At the bottom is a position statement regarding the UFO mystery:
“There is no question or doubt that most UFOs are actually IFOs (Identified Flying Objects). For the subset of events that cannot be explained, there is a small group of sightings that demonstrate solid objects under intelligent control. I am convinced that these objects are somebody else’s craft. Although I cannot prove that the intelligence behind the phenomena is ET in nature, I consider the ETH to be the least unlikely. I also feel that there is a nuclear connection (or one that indicates a cause and effect relationship with serious world events that could lead to a nuclear threat) and that the evidence in the form of military sightings indicates we are being observed and are obviously scientifically and militarily inferior to this presence.”
In Ridge’s “detailed” biography, also found on the NICAP website, there is much more information regarding his activities. There are also links to his afore-mentioned books and several papers written by him. An updated version now begins with his obituary written by his friend Phil Leech.
Francis Lee Ridge made a huge contribution to UFOlogy and his efforts are greatly appreciated, particularly by those of us who are passionate about the history of the subject. R.I.P.