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12 January 1998 (1998-01-12) – 28 June 2002 (2002-06-28)
"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.
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
Pilot Movie
#
Original airdate
Title
0
11.01.1998
Der Kronzeuge (The Main Witness)
Season 1
#
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
Season 2
#
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
Season 3
#
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
Special Episode
#
Original airdate
Episode title
Episode number
/
/
Geisterflieger (Ghost Flight)
/
Season 4
#
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
Season 5
#
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
Season 6
#
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
Season 7
#
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)[citation needed]
