“Alexander Graham Bell’s Tetrahedral Kites (1903–9) [Image Gallery]”, ():
The wonderful imagery documenting Alexander Graham Bell’s experiments with tetrahedral box kites…the Scottish-born inventor Alexander Graham Bell is also noted for his work in aerodynamics, a rather more photogenic endeavour perhaps, as evidenced by the wonderful imagery documenting his experiments with tetrahedral kites.
The series of photographs depict Bell and his colleagues demonstrating and testing out a number of different kite designs, all based upon the tetrahedral structure, to whose pyramid-shaped cells Bell was drawn as they could share joints and spars and so crucially lessen the weight-to-surface area ratio.
…Bell began his experiments with tetrahedral box kites in 1898, eventually developing elaborate structures comprised of multiple compound tetrahedral kites covered in maroon silk, constructed with the aim of carrying a human through the air. Named Cygnet I, II, and III (for they took off from water) [cf. AEA Cygnet] these enormous tetrahedral beings were flown both unmanned and manned during a 5 year period from 1907 until 1912.