Our Favorite Links and/or the place to report Flying Pig Sightings!

Thu, 25 Mar 1999

You realize, of course, that Hamus aeronauticus was first discovered and named by Sir Francis Bacon, the same man who wrote Shakespeare.

Art

Fri, 26 Mar 1999

Art, The genus for pigs is Sus, not Hamus. Hamus (Klein 1858) is actually a molluscan genus, in the family Littorinidae. No kidding! I believe it has been superceded however by Tectarius Valenciennes 1832. Regards,

Paul M.
Rhode Island
(The island that is not an island)

Sat, 27 Mar 1999

Since I am on internet I always heard from flying pigs and have seen a few photos of flying pigs, but I don't know what it means. Sorry. Can anybody explain what it means. My mother and I have as pet a gray New Guinea Pig, called "Putzele". Would this be with wings a flying pig? Or as I am client of netwing and wings are used to flying, am I now a flying pig.? Please tell me, what flying pigs really are. Until now I don't understand the discussion. When I am a slowly flying pig, my mother will be a flying sow, but this is not very nice. Maybe.

Helmut from Innsbruck.

A Pig Tale

           The legendary inflatable Floyd pig was conceived by Roger Waters and originally designed by ERG of Amsterdam in December 1976 for the photo session at Battersea Power Station which spawned the "Animals" album cover. Roger suggested flying a large inflatable pig from the towers of Battersea Power Station. He wanted to do it for real...no photo trickery.
           Although the image of a pig suspended between the huge chimneys possessed a great sense of mood..it was the pig itself which caught the headlines. The day of the shoot was fantastic with a dramatic sky. First, the 40 ft. pig was inflated, but this took so long that it was not actually launched all day. The group of 11 photographers and 3 film crews stood around all day.
           The manager, with clever foresight, had hired a marksman with telescopic rifle to shoot down the pig if it escaped its mooring ropes and sailed off into the sky, where it would become an insurance risk. On the second day, the manager, with not quite such clever foresight, had decided to not hire the marksman for the day, for economic reasons.

           The pig ascended into the flight paths of incoming jets landing at Heathrow Airport. The first sighting came from a jet pilot who landed at Heathrow, a police helicopter was sent up and sighted the pig over London. It tracked it to a height of 5,000 feet before having to return to base. The Civil Aviation Authorities then took over and a general alert was sent out to all pilots that a 40 foot long, pink flying pig was on the loose in the airspace over the capitol! The CAA lost radar contact with it at a point east of Detling, near Chatham in Kent, flying at a height of 18,000 feet and heading east towards Germany. The pig, with a mind of its own, floated along on into Kent and descended upon a rural farmers property. One can imagine the disbelief of his wife when the farmer said to her "guess what..." The Pink Floyd office at first slapped an embargo on information concerning the pig and then admitted that they weren't even sure that they had enough pictures of it for the album.
           The roadies rescued the pig from the farmer that night, returned it to London, mended the punctures and put the pig up again so that it could be photographed the next day. The day was cloudless, with a bright blue sky, but it was not very striking...therefore the pig was layered into the final artwork from day three into the sky of day one, which is how it could have been done in the first place. While a different technique could have been employed to save time, money and anxiety, it also would have prevented a great story unfolding and good laugh being had by all.

April 28, 1999

A Mrs. Griselda Hammerschlag has approached members of the Cincinnati city council. She requests that some sort of ordinance be passed. Her complaint is that, she puts out bird seed every morning in her garden. Before the Chickadees and Cardinals can get to it, the pigs fly down and snarfle up all the seeds. Mrs Hammerschlag feels that the power of the law should protect her hungry birdies from the ravenous snarfeling of the pigs. "I am not against the flying pigs per se", said Mrs. Hammerschlag, "but their predations are leaving many birdies hungry and unable to find proper sustenance."

Flying Pig Press

A new publisher of miniature books in Cincinnati, Ohio, proudly announces the publication of its first title, "Etiquette" by Mark Twain. This delightful tome includes Twain's witty parody of etiquette, providing advice for proper decorum in three unusual social settings: "At the Funeral," "At a Fire," and "Visiting Cards." Considered too "racy" for publication in Twain's time, the original text was only first published in 1938. The book measures 2-1/2 inches by 1-7/8 inches, has 52 pages, and text is set in Palatino. Bound in burgundy, emerald green or sapphire blue cloth, the title and a floral printer's device are stamped in gold on the front cover. The edition is limited to 200 copies, and available for $20.00 each. Please send orders to:
Flying Pig Press,
620 Clinton Springs Ave.,
Cincinnati, Ohio, 45229.

Please make checks payable to Mark Palkovic.

Kelly's Angel Pigs

           These cuties can be made in any colors (all the pigs are pink...). Choose two colors for the flowers and one color for the ribbons.

           $10.00 each, or $18.00 for a set of two.
           (Sets do NOT have to be the same colors.)
           Ask about any special requests.

Kelly Osborn

For more pictures:
Shelby's Store

From the Conch-L shell discussion list:

Sun, 28 Mar 1999

Dear Readers,
           Welcome to those of us who are mystified about the Flying Pigs. You are not alone and you are right to ask. No one but Art Weil, their spokesman, is quite sure about those pigs, and I suspect they hold some mystery even for Art. Three years ago, hestarted sending silly messages about flying pigs.
           He lives in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, which has been a market for pork from early in its history, so much so that it has also been called "Porcopolis." Some students of list history might be interested to know that Art also had a really interesting pet octopus who lived in his (flooded?) basement and played chess. It too was a joke which beguiled us for a while. But the pigs really stuck. They were either much beloved or the porkers people loved to hate.
           Many people have attempted to explain this piggy phenomenon, including its appropriateness. One explanation has been that they are little cowries with wings...since cowries are also known as "little pigs." I forget just why these joke pigs are pigs that can fly, but they do fly. The joke is also that they fly south for the winter, and back to Cincinnati for the warmer months. Some list member who shall remain nameless here once verbally pictured them with little wing-like mantles, soaring in flocks through the air. A delightful picture to cypraeophiles! Perhaps the flying aspect enters via the expression, "When pigs fly!" which means something that is not likely ever to come true. For instance,

Question: "When is Saddam Hussein going to lighten up?"

This is a stereo image.
Stare at the center space and
the pig will stand out in three-D.
Answer: "When pigs fly."

           Is "When pigs fly!" only an American expression? I don't know. Anyway, these never-again-to-be-mentioned pigs have a whole mythology built up around them, and they have been our list mascot from early days. As such, they are objects of affection for many of us. The Flying Pigs are entirely benevolent in intent. Or so they have always appeared to be on this list. They are universally accepting of our differences, and our pecadilloes, even of those members who would cast them out of their native land of Conch-L. Just as Conch-L accepts everyone, so do the Flying Pigs.
           It would be far more appropriate to the focus and purpose and original intent of this list if each one of us followed the example of the pigs and was tolerant of all others, including the little pigs, than for us to quarrel about what is appropriate subject matter for this list. I'd bet a shell or two that far fewer messages on pigs have been posted to Conch-L than messages against the topic of someone else's post. And, unlike pig messages, those other sorts are both repressive and intolerant, as well as being wholly off topic. They lead to ill-will and subversion.

           Lynn Scheu

Flying Pig Airliner Videos

... presents their line of videos of
Airports of the World

your choice of 22 (and counting!) airports

just $19.95 each!

For more information

These cute little fellows were sent to us by Martha Jones of Queen C's Can-tagious Can Cuisine. Try her pages for some fast and easy recipes!

The KPIG "Wings" shirt features our intrepid porker perched atop a tricyle - meaning that the wings have nothing whatsoever to do with a certain lawsuit-loving motorcycle company. Honest. The back encourages you to "Praise The Lard". The color is a cool maroon.

Medium - Large - XL: $20.00
XXL SuperPorker Size: $22.00

KPIG Radio Station

The Cincinnati Flying Pigs with the Fish Head Shrouds were commissioned by Andrew Leicester with the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Museum as a part of the entry for Sawyer Point Park, Cincinnati, Ohio. They are 4'5" tall.

Thu, 25 Mar 1999

You realize, of course, that Hamus aeronauticus was first discovered and named by Sir Francis Bacon, the same man who wrote Shakespeare.

Art