A Search and Rescue team from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island performed two rescues over the Independence Day holiday weekend, the base reported.

The team rescued a hiker who had fallen down a slope on Silver Star Mountain and a speed flyer who had disappeared near Church Mountain, according to a press release.

On Sunday morning, the SAR team was called to rescue a 35-year-old woman who had fallen down a slope and been injured on Silver Star Mountain northwest of Winthrop. The team launched at 9:35 a.m. and arrived on scene about 10:10 a.m.

After a search of the area, the SAR team found the party of hikers with the injured hiker and inserted two SAR team members via hoist. The injured hiker was soon hoisted onto the SAR helicopter and delivered to St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham by approximately 11:20 a.m.

The next morning, a SAR team was called to search for a speed flyer who had gone missing at some point on July 1 near the peak of Church Mountain, northeast of the town of Glacier. Speed flying is an extreme mountain sport that combines elements of paragliding and parachuting to create a fast ride that is close to the slope, rather than soaring like a paraglider.

The SAR team launched at 5:10 a.m. July 3 to conduct the search in the area where the paraglider was suspected to have been flying.

After an initial sweep, the team conducted a low-level, slow search and eventually found a chute of the same description as the paraglider’s chute. A team member was inserted to the spot to search for the paraglider where he found footprints heading off into the bush away from the chute. A SAR team member in the aircraft noticed an off-colored patch of green about 80 meters away in small creek amongst fallen trees and, using binoculars, saw the paraglider waving one arm trying to signal the helicopter.

With the paraglider located, the SAR team member on the ground was recovered, then two other team members were inserted to the patient’s location via hoist. By 6:35 a.m. the patient was hoisted aboard the SAR helicopter with significant injuries and was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he was dropped off just after 7 a.m.

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island SAR has conducted 18 missions this calendar year, which includes one MEDEVAC, three searches and 14 rescues.