Wichita's airport will soon be home to the only known sculpture that includes a piece of the World Trade Center... a unique piece of art to be unveiled in time to mark the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

It was quite a process just to acquire the piece. The Wichita Airport Authority had to jump through tons of hoops. But in the end, says it will be well worth the effort.

"I remember the day it arrived here at the airport," said Keith Osborn, Homeland Security Director for Kansas.

After two years of work, the Wichita Airport Authority obtained an eight foot piece of an I-beam from the World Trade Center in New York City with the intention of creating a memorial to the victims of 9/11 inside the airport terminal.

"We had seen photos," Osburn explained. "It just gave me chills, the forces it took to distort this humongous I-beam into the shape it is today."

In order to take possession of the beam, the airport authority had to get a court order. They have now contracted with B & B Metal Arts out of Hoisington to use the beam as the focal point of a sculpture that will be unveiled to mark the 10 year anniversary of the terror attack.

"The I-beam is the main focus point," said artist Bruce Bitter. "And that's where people inside the airport will be able to touch and feel this. The eagle will be spaced out farther away and grasping the I-beam and flying away with it."

There was much debate about how to display the artifact, which wasn't taken lightly.

"We polled a workforce around the state and said 'How do you think we should display this?'" Osburn said. "Universally, they said they would like it to remain in its natural state."

"It's not the work, it's the fun doing this," Bitter said. "How many people have an honor to do this?"

The Bitter's are donating all of their time and materials for this project. If you would like to help them out with a financial donation, you can contact them at:

B & B Metal Arts
PO Box 7
Hoisington, KS 67544