Medicopter 117 – Jedes Leben zählt


"Medicopter 117 – Jedes Leben zählt“ is a German language television series that RTL and ORF broadcast. Medicopter 117 has seven seasons in 81 episodes and a pilot movie.
Medicopter 117 started in Germany and Austria on 11 January 1998 with the pilot movie “Der Kronzeuge”. Over 6.67 million people watched the series in Germany. The series ended in 2002.

Broadcasters

RTL
ORF 1
RTL KLUB
TV NOVA TV PRIMA
JEDNOTKA TV JOJ
TVN
NTN
TV3
TV3
TV3
REN TV
AXN
DIEMA
TF1
RTL TVI
RTL 4
CUATRO
TELMA
CHANNEL 5
SÉRIES+
TV5

Description

The Medicopter 117 is a fictitious rescue helicopter somewhere in the German Alps whose crews rescue people in danger.
The most expensive episode was the last episode in the first season. In the episode “Der Absturz”, a helicopter crashes in the mountains after a collision with a cable car rope. The crash sequence took one minute and cost 1 million DM to film.
The episode "Geisterflieger" was originally set to air on 11 September 2001. This episode was supposed to be the first one of season four. Because of the episode's parallels to the attacks of 9/11, it was broadcast on a later date.
But the producers broadcast "Geisterflieger" on 17 September 2002 because its plot was crucial for the entire series. The paramedic Enrico Contini had his first appearance there. Some of the plotlines had to be refilmed because some of the former characters were gone and new ones had appeared in the series. So there are two different versions of this episode. The fourth season began with the episode "Rettet Susi" on 18 September 2001.
From 2008 to 2012, all the Medicopter 117 seasons were released on DVD.
The series aired in several countries with the original German audio, but with English subtitles. It ran in United Kingdom on Channel 5.

Helicopters

The Medicopter 117 is a BK 117 made by the German helicopter manufacturer Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm. The BK 117 has a special color scheme in red and yellow.
Medicopter 117 used two helicopters. The producers borrowed the first helicopter from the DRF. When they did not use the D-HECE for the series, it flew real rescue missions at DRF locations. The DRF had ended its cooperation by the beginning of the fifth season. Later, the D-HECE was painted in the DRF colors.
The second helicopter was a former police helicopter in Baden-Württemberg. After its Medicopter career, the D-HEOE flew rescue missions for different operators like DRF, IFA and the Austrian operator Flymed. This helicopter was used for sightseeing flights a few times. Today, the D-HEOE serves as an offshore helicopter in the North Sea.

List of episodes

#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number
112.01.1998Tödliche Dosis 01
219.01.1998Die Geiselnahme 02
326.01.1998Kurzschluss 03
402.02.1998Flug in die Hölle 04
509.02.1998Inferno ohne Ausweg 05
623.02.1998Blinde Wut 06
702.03.1998Gift in den Adern 07
809.03.1998Der Absturz 08

#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number
114.09.1999Über dem Abgrund 09
214.09.1999Der Bankraub 10
321.09.1999Nasses Grab 11
428.09.1999Viren an Bord 12
505.10.1999Blinder Alarm 13
612.10.1999Die falsche Maßnahme 14
719.10.1999Knockout15
801.11.1998Schulbus in den Tod 16
902.11.1999Gejagt 17
1009.11.1999Unter Verdacht 18
1116.11.1999Mission ohne Ausweg 19
1223.11.1999Das kalte Herz 20
1330.11.1999In letzter Sekunde 21

#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number
114.03.2000Irrfahrt am Himmel 22
221.03.2000Die Todesfalle 23
328.03.2000Zwischen Leben und Tod 24
404.04.2000Die Feuertaufe 25
511.04.2000Fahrt zur Hölle 26
618.04.2000Kidnapping27
725.04.2000Fehler im System 28
802.05.2000Gehetzt 29
909.05.2000Die rollende Bombe 30
1016.05.2000Todessprung 31
1123.05.2000Horror32
1230.05.2000Bodenlos 33
1306.06.2000Corrers Rache 34

#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number
//Geisterflieger /

#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number
118.09.2001Rettet Susi 35
225.09.2001Geld gegen Leben 36
302.10.2001Tödliches Wissen 37
409.10.2001Liebe oder Tod 38
516.10.2001Super-Gau 39
623.10.2001Mobbing 40
730.10.2001Kokain 41
806.11.2001Mr. Radio42
913.11.2001Die einzige Zeugin 43
1020.11.2001Lebendig begraben 44
1127.11.2001Kamikaze45
1204.12.2001Auf der Flucht 46

#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number
112.03.2002Der Zug 47
219.03.2002Flucht ohne Wiederkehr 48
326.03.2002Plutonium49
402.04.2002Höhenangst 50
509.04.2002Inferno51
616.04.2002No Risk, No Fun52
717.09.2002Geisterflieger 53
824.09.2002Verschollen 54
901.10.2002Rufmord 55
1008.10.2002Im Labyrinth 56
1115.10.2002Geldtransport 57
1222.10.2002Die Flammenfalle 58
1329.10.2002Rache um jeden Preis 59
1412.11.2002Blinde Passagiere 60

#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number
107.10.2003Bodyguard61
214.10.2003Blitzschlag 62
321.10.2003Verschüttet 63
428.10.2003Das Feuerwerk 64
518.11.2003Falsche Zeit, falscher Ort 65
625.11.2003Freier Fall 66
702.12.2003Blutige Spende 67
809.12.2003Vier Elemente 68
920.07.2006Mikado69
1027.07.2006Abgezockt 70
1110.08.2006Blindflug 71
1217.08.2006Flammenmeer 72
1324.08.2006Heißer Schnee 73

#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number
131.08.2006Flug ins Ungewisse 74
213.07.2008Spiel mit dem Tod 75
331.08.2008Feuer! 76
407.09.2008Der Tunnel 77
514.09.2008Eisiges Gefängnis 78
614.09.2008Ohne Skrupel 79
721.09.2008Gegen jede Chance 80
828.09.2008Angst! 81

Cancellation

Shortly after the end of the 7th season, RTL announced that it would no longer invest into making the series. The reason they gave was that ″We showed everything there was to show, normal rescues, rescues on ships, rescues in the mountains, rescues from helicopter to helicopter, rescues on motorway bridges and many, many dramatic scenes. Over time, this would all just become similar or even repeat itself. That's why we're forced to stay with 82 episodes in 7 seasons.″