This is not new news, but needs to be mentioned….as released by the Lone Star Flight Museum on December 21:
The Lone Star Flight Museum (LSFM) announced today that it has entered into an agreement with the Mid America Flight Museum in Mount Pleasant, Texas (MAFM) whereby LSFM has agreed to sell its Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress “Thunderbird” to MAFM. Mid America has agreed to display Thunderbird at Lone Star’s facility at Houston’s Ellington Airport for several months each year through 2024. Mid America has also agreed to make other aircraft from its collection available for display at LSFM during the same time frame. The agreement marks the beginning of a new relationship between the two aviation museums that holds future benefit for both.
This is B-17G 44-85718 (N900RW). As of this writing on February 23, there is no report filed ywt with the FAA reflecting a legal owner change. This B-17G is an ex-IGN survey aircraft and came to the Lone Star Flight Museum or, more specifically, museum organizer Robert Waltrip, in 1987. The B-17 has been essentially grounded for the last few years by non-airplane issues, so it may return to the sky with its acquisition by the Mid America Flight Museum. Rumor places the sales price in the $10.5 million range, reflecting that B-17s rarely come available for purchase and prices reflect that reality.