Let’s go fly a kite, up to the highest height

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Mar. 15, 2024) — Martinez Kite Man sends smiles soaring.

Like most kids growing up in the 1960s, Tony Jetland purchased inexpensive dime store kites and tried to set them aloft as winter gave way to warmer months in northern Minnesota.

“You put the tail on them and they crash, and then you try flying them again,” Jetland said of those 75 cent kites. “That is when times were simpler.”

Not in his wildest dreams did this transplant to California via Billings, Mont., ever think that 63 years later that he would be privileged to travel to far-off destinations like India, Quatar and China to fly far more expensive and extravagant kites at festivals and events.

Residents can find “the Kite Man of Martinez” plying his talents on most pleasant weekends at the water’s edge of Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline by the Carquinez Strait.

“The winds come across the water, and it is so nice and smooth,” he said of the steady conditions that are ideal for kite flying.

But when the winds get over 15 miles per hour, it’s time to bring them down.

“There’s a lot of stress and strain. That is too strong for the kites.”

Teaching the masses

The pastime gave his heart a strong tug decades ago, when he first stepped into Kite Flite at Pier 39 in San Francisco. He set forth to buy one after watching a video, thinking it was pretty neat.

Jetland kept going back to the kite shop, even telling its owner: “I will work for kite.”

Eventually, he was teaching others how to fly them at the shop as well as having a presence at the Berkeley Kite Festival.

While the shop is no longer there, his passion for flying kites endures 24 years later.

Along the way, Jetland forged a relationship with Mark Reed and began flying kites manufactured by Reed’s Seattle-based Prism Kite Technology, which saw a boost in its sales.

“It’s like driving a car,” Jetland said of learning to fly kites. “I have taught thousands of people over the years.”

Not ready to go pro

Now a days, the licensed contractor, who operates a home repair and remodeling business, flies far and wide with organizations paying his expenses so he can fly kites for their events. A recent 13-day adventure cost him $23.99 for a roundtrip BART ticket from Lafayette to SFO and back.

While flying kites has elevated to sports status, Jetland steers clear of that. Such a commitment would require making up routines. “I don’t compete, because that turns it into a job,” he noted. “I do it for the sheer love of the activity.”

He recalled taking a moment to look around at the crowd of 175,000 in attendance at a massive arena in China.

“I do it to create memories and to put smiles on the faces,” said Jetland. “There is nothing better than the feeling when you hear a person gigglin’.”

That in a nutshell is how Jetland finds the joy of flying kites, which now number upwards to 400 at his home.

“I applaud his gift of entertaining the public and drawing attention to Martinez,” said John Grubka, who has made repeated trips to the marina to watch Jetland’s mastery of the skies with his self-designed kites since first encountering him seven years ago.

Appreciative of Jetland’s skills and the goodwill he fosters, Grubka nominated him for the city’s Man of the Year award last year.

Try it yourself

For folks interested in the hobby, Jetland advice is to just get one you like and learn to fly it. As for the tail people commonly attach to the bottom, he says it helps create drag and stability but is not necessary.

“Any kite that gets you outside and gets you off your phone, that is the best kite in the world,” said Jetland. “If it puts a smile on the face, that is the right kite. I know it is old school, but it is still fun.”

Though inclement weather limited his appearances in early 2024, expect to see Jetland at the Martinez marina on Sunday, March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, to mark his 63rd birthday pursuing a passion he loves – sending up still more smiles along the way.