| Medicopter 117 – Jedes Leben zählt | |
|---|---|
 Logo | |
| Theme music composer | Sylvester Levay |
| Country of origin | Germany Austria |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | Pilot Movie + 81 Episodes |
| Original release | |
| Release | 12 January 1998 – 28 June 2002 |
"Medicopter 117 – Jedes Leben zählt“ (English: Medicopter 117 – Every life counts) 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 12 January 1998 with the pilot movie “Der Kronzeuge”. Over 6.67 million people watched the series in Germany. The series ended in 2002.
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" (Insecticide) 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" (Save 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 (registration D-HECE) from the DRF (Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht). 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 (red and white).
The second helicopter (registration D-HEOE) was a former police helicopter in Baden-Württemberg. After its Medicopter career, the D-HEOE flew rescue missions for different operators like DRF, IFA (Internationale Flugambulanz) 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 airdate | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 11.01.1998 | Der Kronzeuge (The Main Witness) |
| # | Original airdate | Episode title | Episode number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12.01.1998 | Tödliche Dosis (Deadly Dose) | 01 |
| 2 | 19.01.1998 | Die Geiselnahme (Hostage Situation) | 02 |
| 3 | 26.01.1998 | Kurzschluss (Short Circuit) | 03 |
| 4 | 02.02.1998 | Flug in die Hölle (Flight to Hell) | 04 |
| 5 | 09.02.1998 | Inferno ohne Ausweg (Inferno with No Way Out) | 05 |
| 6 | 23.02.1998 | Blinde Wut (Blind Rage) | 06 |
| 7 | 02.03.1998 | Gift in den Adern (Poison in the Veins) | 07 |
| 8 | 09.03.1998 | Der Absturz (The Crash) | 08 |
| # | Original airdate | Episode title | Episode number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14.09.1999 | Über dem Abgrund (Above the Abyss) | 09 |
| 2 | 14.09.1999 | Der Bankraub (The Bank Robbery) | 10 |
| 3 | 21.09.1999 | Nasses Grab (Wet Grave) | 11 |
| 4 | 28.09.1999 | Viren an Bord (Viruses Onboard) | 12 |
| 5 | 05.10.1999 | Blinder Alarm (Blind Alarm) | 13 |
| 6 | 12.10.1999 | Die falsche Maßnahme (The Wrong Method) | 14 |
| 7 | 19.10.1999 | Knockout | 15 |
| 8 | 01.11.1998 | Schulbus in den Tod (School Bus on the Way to Death) | 16 |
| 9 | 02.11.1999 | Gejagt (Hunted) | 17 |
| 10 | 09.11.1999 | Unter Verdacht (Under Suspicion) | 18 |
| 11 | 16.11.1999 | Mission ohne Ausweg (Mission with No Return) | 19 |
| 12 | 23.11.1999 | Das kalte Herz (The Cold Heart) | 20 |
| 13 | 30.11.1999 | In letzter Sekunde (At the Last Second) | 21 |
| # | Original airdate | Episode title | Episode number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14.03.2000 | Irrfahrt am Himmel (Odyssey in the Sky) | 22 |
| 2 | 21.03.2000 | Die Todesfalle (Death Trap) | 23 |
| 3 | 28.03.2000 | Zwischen Leben und Tod (Between Life and Death) | 24 |
| 4 | 04.04.2000 | Die Feuertaufe (Baptism of Fire) | 25 |
| 5 | 11.04.2000 | Fahrt zur Hölle (Trip to Hell) | 26 |
| 6 | 18.04.2000 | Kidnapping | 27 |
| 7 | 25.04.2000 | Fehler im System (System Error) | 28 |
| 8 | 02.05.2000 | Gehetzt (Hunted) | 29 |
| 9 | 09.05.2000 | Die rollende Bombe (The Rolling Bomb) | 30 |
| 10 | 16.05.2000 | Todessprung (Leap of Death) | 31 |
| 11 | 23.05.2000 | Horror | 32 |
| 12 | 30.05.2000 | Bodenlos (Bottomless) | 33 |
| 13 | 06.06.2000 | Corrers Rache (Correr's Revenge) | 34 |
| # | Original airdate | Episode title | Episode number |
|---|---|---|---|
| / | / | Geisterflieger (Ghost Flight) | / |
| # | Original airdate | Episode title | Episode number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18.09.2001 | Rettet Susi (Save Susi) | 35 |
| 2 | 25.09.2001 | Geld gegen Leben (Money Vs. Life) | 36 |
| 3 | 02.10.2001 | Tödliches Wissen (Deadly Knowledge) | 37 |
| 4 | 09.10.2001 | Liebe oder Tod (Love or Death) | 38 |
| 5 | 16.10.2001 | Super-Gau (Major Accident) | 39 |
| 6 | 23.10.2001 | Mobbing (Bullying) | 40 |
| 7 | 30.10.2001 | Kokain (Cocaine) | 41 |
| 8 | 06.11.2001 | Mr. Radio | 42 |
| 9 | 13.11.2001 | Die einzige Zeugin (The Only Witness) | 43 |
| 10 | 20.11.2001 | Lebendig begraben (Buried Alive) | 44 |
| 11 | 27.11.2001 | Kamikaze | 45 |
| 12 | 04.12.2001 | Auf der Flucht (On the Run) | 46 |
| # | Original airdate | Episode title | Episode number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12.03.2002 | Der Zug (The Train) | 47 |
| 2 | 19.03.2002 | Flucht ohne Wiederkehr (Escape with No Return) | 48 |
| 3 | 26.04.2002 | Plutonium | 49 |
| 4 | 02.04.2002 | Höhenangst (Fear of Heights) | 50 |
| 5 | 09.04.2002 | Inferno | 51 |
| 6 | 16.04.2002 | No Risk, No Fun | 52 |
| 7 | 17.09.2002 | Geisterflieger (Ghost Flight) | 53 |
| 8 | 24.09.2002 | Verschollen (Vanished) | 54 |
| 9 | 01.10.2002 | Rufmord (Character Assassination) | 55 |
| 10 | 08.10.2002 | Im Labyrinth (In the Maze) | 56 |
| 11 | 15.10.2002 | Geldtransport (Money Transport) | 57 |
| 12 | 22.10.2002 | Die Flammenfalle (Firetrap) | 58 |
| 13 | 29.10.2002 | Rache um jeden Preis (Revenge at All Costs) | 59 |
| 14 | 12.11.2002 | Blinde Passagiere (Stowaways) | 60 |
| # | Original airdate | Episode title | Episode number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 07.10.2003 | Bodyguard | 61 |
| 2 | 14.10.2003 | Blitzschlag (Thunderbolt) | 62 |
| 3 | 21.10.2003 | Verschüttet (Buried Alive) | 63 |
| 4 | 28.10.2003 | Das Feuerwerk (Fireworks) | 64 |
| 5 | 18.11.2003 | Falsche Zeit, falscher Ort (Wrong Place, Wrong Time) | 65 |
| 6 | 25.11.2003 | Freier Fall (Freefall) | 66 |
| 7 | 02.12.2003 | Blutige Spende (Bloody Donation) | 67 |
| 8 | 09.12.2003 | Vier Elemente (Four Elements) | 68 |
| 9 | 20.07.2006 | Mikado | 69 |
| 10 | 27.07.2006 | Abgezockt (Ripped Off) | 70 |
| 11 | 10.08.2006 | Blindflug (Blind Flight) | 71 |
| 12 | 17.08.2006 | Flammenmeer (The Lake of Fire) | 72 |
| 13 | 24.08.2006 | Heißer Schnee (Hot Snow) | 73 |
| # | Original airdate | Episode title | Episode number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31.07.2006 | Flug ins Ungewisse (Flight into the Unknown) | 74 |
| 2 | 13.07.2008 | Spiel mit dem Tod (Playing with Death) | 75 |
| 3 | 31.08.2008 | Feuer! (Fire!) | 76 |
| 4 | 07.09.2008 | Der Tunnel (The Tunnel) | 77 |
| 5 | 14.09.2008 | Eisiges Gefängnis (Icy Prison) | 78 |
| 6 | 14.09.2008 | Ohne Skrupel (Unscrupulous) | 79 |
| 7 | 21.09.2008 | Gegen jede Chance (Against Every Chance) | 80 |
| 8 | 28.09.2008 | Angst! (Fear!) | 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.″ (RTL press release)