"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 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" (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 airdateTitle011.01.1998Der Kronzeuge (The Main Witness)

+ Season 1#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number112.01.1998Tödliche Dosis (Deadly Dose)01219.01.1998Die Geiselnahme (Hostage Situation)02326.01.1998Kurzschluss (Short Circuit)03402.02.1998Flug in die Hölle (Flight to Hell)04509.02.1998Inferno ohne Ausweg (Inferno with No Way Out)05623.02.1998Blinde Wut (Blind Rage)06702.03.1998Gift in den Adern (Poison in the Veins)07809.03.1998Der Absturz (The Crash)08

+ Season 2#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number114.09.1999Über dem Abgrund (Above the Abyss)09214.09.1999Der Bankraub (The Bank Robbery)10321.09.1999Nasses Grab (Wet Grave)11428.09.1999Viren an Bord (Viruses Onboard)12505.10.1999Blinder Alarm (Blind Alarm)13612.10.1999Die falsche Maßnahme (The Wrong Method)14719.10.1999Knockout15801.11.1998Schulbus in den Tod (School Bus on the Way to Death)16902.11.1999Gejagt (Hunted)171009.11.1999Unter Verdacht (Under Suspicion)181116.11.1999Mission ohne Ausweg (Mission with No Return)191223.11.1999Das kalte Herz (The Cold Heart)201330.11.1999In letzter Sekunde (At the Last Second)21

+ Season 3#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number114.03.2000Irrfahrt am Himmel (Odyssey in the Sky)22221.03.2000Die Todesfalle (Death Trap)23328.03.2000Zwischen Leben und Tod (Between Life and Death)24404.04.2000Die Feuertaufe (Baptism of Fire)25511.04.2000Fahrt zur Hölle (Trip to Hell)26618.04.2000Kidnapping27725.04.2000Fehler im System (System Error)28802.05.2000Gehetzt (Hunted)29909.05.2000Die rollende Bombe (The Rolling Bomb)301016.05.2000Todessprung (Leap of Death)311123.05.2000Horror321230.05.2000Bodenlos (Bottomless)331306.06.2000Corrers Rache (Correr's Revenge)34

+ Special Episode#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number//Geisterflieger (Ghost Flight)/

+ Season 4#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number118.09.2001Rettet Susi (Save Susi)35225.09.2001Geld gegen Leben (Money Vs. Life)36302.10.2001Tödliches Wissen (Deadly Knowledge)37409.10.2001Liebe oder Tod (Love or Death)38516.10.2001Super-Gau (Major Accident)39623.10.2001Mobbing (Bullying)40730.10.2001Kokain (Cocaine)41806.11.2001Mr. Radio42913.11.2001Die einzige Zeugin (The Only Witness)431020.11.2001Lebendig begraben (Buried Alive)441127.11.2001Kamikaze451204.12.2001Auf der Flucht (On the Run)46

+ Season 5#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number112.03.2002Der Zug (The Train)47219.03.2002Flucht ohne Wiederkehr (Escape with No Return)48326.03.2002Plutonium49402.04.2002Höhenangst (Fear of Heights)50509.04.2002Inferno51616.04.2002No Risk, No Fun52717.09.2002Geisterflieger (Ghost Flight)53824.09.2002Verschollen (Vanished)54901.10.2002Rufmord (Character Assassination)551008.10.2002Im Labyrinth (In the Maze)561115.10.2002Geldtransport (Money Transport)571222.10.2002Die Flammenfalle (Firetrap)581329.10.2002Rache um jeden Preis (Revenge at All Costs)591412.11.2002Blinde Passagiere (Stowaways)60

+ Season 6#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number107.10.2003Bodyguard61214.10.2003Blitzschlag (Thunderbolt)62321.10.2003Verschüttet (Buried Alive)63428.10.2003Das Feuerwerk (Fireworks)64518.11.2003Falsche Zeit, falscher Ort (Wrong Place, Wrong Time)65625.11.2003Freier Fall (Freefall)66702.12.2003Blutige Spende (Bloody Donation)67809.12.2003Vier Elemente (Four Elements)68920.07.2006Mikado691027.07.2006Abgezockt (Ripped Off)701110.08.2006Blindflug (Blind Flight)711217.08.2006Flammenmeer (The Lake of Fire)721324.08.2006Heißer Schnee (Hot Snow)73

+ Season 7#Original airdateEpisode titleEpisode number131.08.2006Flug ins Ungewisse (Flight into the Unknown)74213.07.2008Spiel mit dem Tod (Playing with Death)75331.08.2008Feuer! (Fire!)76407.09.2008Der Tunnel (The Tunnel)77514.09.2008Eisiges Gefängnis (Icy Prison)78614.09.2008Ohne Skrupel (Unscrupulous)79721.09.2008Gegen jede Chance (Against Every Chance)80828.09.2008Angst! (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)

See also List of German television series

External links