Cleared for takeoff: Martinez ‘Kite Man’ back in action, to delight of his fans

Tony Jetland said that after he was injured on the job in early August, suffering a back injury and a double hernia simultaneously while working on an outside deck, “for three months, I literally laid around and stared at the ceiling.”

The Martinez resident not only couldn’t work, but also was grounded in his pursuit of his passion — flying kites. This was painful, according to the man who has come to be known as the “Kite Man of Martinez” and flies large, expensive, elaborate kites everywhere from Europe to China to the Martinez marina.