“Wrench” and “Rudder”: (Above) Brothers Ben, left, and Ian Campbell are finding success in SIU Carbondale’s School of Aviation. Both seniors who graduate in May, Ian is part of the Detail Dawgs maintenance competition team and Ben is with the Flying Salukis aviation flight team. (Below) Ian (left) and Ben show off one of the Flying Salukis planes. (Photos by Russell Bailey)
November 20, 2025
SIU’s Campbell brothers share passion for aviation
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Separated at birth by less than a minute, Southern Illinois University Carbondale seniors Ben and Ian Campbell have always been together — whether playing baseball in their backyard, working at a local hardware store in their northern Illinois hometown or working on projects to become Eagle Scouts.
And aviation. The only difference there for Ben and Ian, twins from Richmond, Illinois, who will graduate from SIU’s School of Aviation next May, are their majors and career paths.
Ben, just slightly older, is majoring in aviation flight and management and is a four-year member of the nationally recognized Flying Salukis. He plans to continue building his flight hours as a certified flight instructor to pursue a career with a regional and then a major airline. Ian, meanwhile, an aviation technologies major, is president of the Detail Dawgs, an SIU maintenance competition team comprising aviation technologies students, and he plans to become a general aviation aircraft inspector after receiving his Federal Aviation Administration airframe and powerplant certification. ‘Wrench’ and ‘Rudder’
Only in kindergarten were Ian and Ben in the same classroom. Both laugh recalling the time they once switched identities at the start of a high school class. The ploy worked until the teacher apologized to the boy he believed was Ian for saying Ian had given the wrong answer the day before.
When their older sister, Annie, suggested they have separate roommates to begin college, Ian recalled their reaction.
“It was coming down to the deadline, and we looked at each other, and it was like, ‘That’s going to suck. We already know each other; we know each other’s habits.’ We’ve roomed together, and it’s great. We didn’t have to go through that whole phase of awkwardness.”
But there was still some confusion. As freshmen living in a residence hall, another student coined their nicknames “Wrench” (Ian) and “Rudder” (Ben) in an effort to tell them apart.
Being able to bounce off ideas or find solutions with a brother who is in a related field is a benefit. When they have an aviation question, they go to a whiteboard in their apartment to figure it out.
“If you can see the other side, it’s connecting the pieces to become a better mechanic and better pilot,” Ben said.
“I don’t fly and run the planes enough right now to understand everything from the pilot’s perspective,” Ian said. “It’s really bridging that gap of knowledge. If I have a problem at work and come home and say the pilot is reporting this is happening in flight, Ben will tell me everything he knows about that.”
Early interest in aviation
With a grandfather and a close family friend who served in the U.S. Navy, Ian and Ben each had an early interest in the military, which led to an interest in aviation through history, including fighter plane wallpaper in their bedroom, Ben said. When they were in middle school, a family friend, SIU Aviation and Flying Saluki alumnus, Bill Struthers, a pilot with United Airlines, suggested they attend a United Airlines-SIU Aviation Career Day. As a result, they attended the career day event as freshmen and sophomores. And while they looked at other universities with aviation programs, they both felt SIU was the right place for them to land.
“I already knew I was going to be a pilot; I could do this for the rest of my life,” Ben said. “There are so many complexities involved. There is nothing that I would rather do than that.”
Ian, who loves working with his hands, focused on aviation technologies. His experience at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture Oshkosh in July 2022 solidified his decision. There, he met Brian Spiro, co-founder of JB Aviation in Wonder Lake, Illinois, where Ian has worked the last two years.
“I didn’t want to just be a part changer. I wanted a more challenging technical career,” Ian said. “I wanted that extra bit. When I went to Oshkosh, I saw the community and how no matter where you are in aviation, it is all connected. If you know one person, you can know 10 or 15 more.”
An aviation maintenance technician needs to know several areas, including aerodynamics, math, metallurgy, how electrical systems operate, composites and computer programming, Ian said.
“You have a much closer relationship with your professors; it’s more one-on-one,” Ian said, noting that labs generally have only about 15 students.
Successes at SIU
Ben and Ian each show passion and determination, evident in both the classroom and with their respective teams.
“Ian has been a great student to have. He has a passion for aviation and is a good mechanic,” said James Barker, an assistant professor in aviation technologies. “After having him in classes and as president of the Detail Dawgs, I know I can count on him and trust him to get things done. He has proven himself as a leader, and he has gone out of his way to tutor and mentor other students.”
In April, the team placed in the top 10 in six events at the 2025 Aerospace Maintenance Council competition in Atlanta in a field of 86 teams, including professionals, from eight countries. “It was fantastic, what the team was able to achieve,” said Ian, adding that the team is preparing for next spring’s event. Ian competed in eight events, including a fifth-place finish in the three-person render safe team event, where an emergency escape slide from a Boeing 767 is removed and replaced, and sixth in the two-person air data event, where teams troubleshoot faulty aircraft instruments and replace them. Ben, meanwhile, is looking to repeat his national titles in aircraft preflight inspection and traditional navigation at the 2026 National Intercollegiate Flying Association championships in May. He won the individual scoring title and aircraft preflight in regional competition in October.
The coaches, Ben said, are “a walking encyclopedia of aviation. They are all fantastic pilots, and they know their stuff. It makes a difference.”
Nathan Lincoln, Flying Salukis head coach and a senior lecturer in aviation management, cites Ben’s “dedication to excellence,” along with a “genuine commitment for learning and supporting those around him.“
“Ben approaches everything he does with determination,” Lincoln said. “Whether he’s preparing for flight events, helping teammates or working through complex aviation coursework, he always demonstrates the discipline and precision that define a skilled pilot. His ability to perform under pressure and maintain a positive attitude sets an example for others on the team.”
The brothers emphasized that their parents, Lynn and John Campbell, always encouraged each of them to be their own person and have their own identity — even though they tended to gravitate toward the same things.
“Mom made it clear that we should always have each other’s back. And I do,” Ben said.
Ian said he cannot comprehend life without his brother.
“Having a brother in such close proximity — it’s having a best friend for life. It’s having someone to rely on.”
