MDG Aviation Limited

A second-generation aviation executive and decorated U.S. Navy veteran, Brian Ridgley brings nearly four decades of aircraft transaction experience to MDG Aviation. As President & CEO of RidgeAire, Inc. — the Texas-based family enterprise he has led since 1997 — Brian has personally overseen the sale of over 1,750 aircraft across every major manufacturer, making him one of the most prolific aircraft transaction specialists in the United States.

Brian's career began on the flightline alongside his father before he answered a higher calling: service in the United States Navy. Honorably discharged as a Petty Officer Second Class (E-5) with combat deployment experience and NATO Top Secret clearance, Brian carried the Navy's core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment into every chapter of his professional life. Those principles — forged in service to his country — define how he serves every client today.

Returning to RidgeAire as Sales Manager in 1987, Brian spent a decade mastering domestic and international markets before ascending to the presidency. He holds an FAA Private Pilot License with over 7,500 hours across single and multi-engine land aircraft under IFR conditions — and is type-certified across the full Piper range (Cub through Cheyenne IIIA), all Beechcraft through the King Air B200, and the complete Cessna line from tail-draggers to the Conquest II. This depth of hands-on flying experience is rare among transaction advisors and gives MDG's clients an evaluator who has actually lived with the aircraft he recommends.

As a certified bank aircraft appraiser, Brian provides institutional-grade valuations that lenders, insurers, and family offices rely on. His expertise extends across aircraft marketing, leasing, rehabilitation, and brokerage — the full lifecycle of aircraft asset management. Now with a third generation joining the family business, Brian continues to invest in building teams that deliver world-class service with what he calls “a splash of Texan hospitality.”