34 Cell Silver Tetrahedral (September 2005)

Vinal tubing joint construction.
A 3 spar, 6 spar, 9 spar and a big 12 spar joint (largest in the kite).
Not shown is a 6 spar corner joint, (looks a bit like the 9 spar joint).

A 34 cell wide tetra requires 4 of these 12 spar joints

The 12 spar joint in action. Sort of like an exploding star.

12 x 3 spar joints.  16 x 6 spar joints.  8 x 6 spar corner joints.
20 x 9 spar joints.  and  4 x 12 spar joints needed.
The kite thus requires 60 joints to join 204 spars.

Covering each of the 34 cell, with maylar and scotch tape.

Flys great!
Coolumn Kite Festival, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, September 2005

Side on view, clearly showing the bridle lines

Tetrahedral flying well in late afternoon, after the wind picked up.
Top right and bottom left cell broken, causing a bit of a lean,
and yet it continues to fly, rock steady in the sky with good lift.