Medicopter 117 – Jedes Leben zählt


The action series „Medicopter 117 – Jedes Leben zählt“ were produced by the German TV-channel RTL and the Austrian TV-channel ORF from 1997 to 2002.
The series has 7 seasons and 82 episodes. 6.67 million people watched the series in Germany. Medicopter 117 started on 12 January 1998 in Germany and Austria with the television pilot “Der Kronzeuge”.
The Medicopter 117 is a fictitious rescue helicopter in the German Alps. The series does not indicate where it is based. In the series the helicopter and its crew rescue people in great danger.
The episode with the most expensive minute was the last episode in the first season. In the episode “Der Absturz” the helicopter crashed in the mountains after a collision with a cable car robe. The crash sequence took one minute and cost 1 million DM.
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.
In the series two helicopters were used. The first helicopter with the registration D-HECE was borrowed from the DRF. When the D-HECE was not being used for the series, it flew real rescue missions at DRF locations. However, at the beginning of the fifth season the DRF ended its cooperation, for unknown reasons. Later the helicopter was painted in the DRF colors.
The second helicopter with the registration D-HEOE was a former police helicopter in Baden-Württemberg. After its Medicopter career it flew rescue missions for different operators like DRF, IFA and the Austrian operator Flymed. A few times the helicopter was used for sightseeing flights. Today it is using as an offshore helicopter in the North Sea.
The episode Geisterflieger should have been originally based on 11 September 2001. This episode should have been the beginning of season four. Because of the attacks of 9/11 and its parallels to 9/11 it was not broadcast. The makers of the series decided to broadcast the episode on 17 September 2002 because it plot is crucial for the entire series. The paramedic Enrico Contini has his first appearance here. Some of the plotlines had to be shot new because some of the former characters were gone and new ones were come into the series. That is why 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 seasons of the action series were published on DVD.

List of episodes



Staffel 1


#TV-PremierEpisode titleEpisode's number
111.01.1998Der Kronzeuge 01
212.01.1998Tödliche Dosis 02
319.01.1998Die Geiselnahme 03
426.01.1998Kurzschluss 04
502.02.1998Flug in die Hölle 05
609.02.1998Inferno ohne Ausweg 06
723.02.1998Blinde Wut 07
802.03.1998Gift in den Adern 08
909.03.1998Der Absturz 09



Staffel 2


#TV-PremiereEpisodentitelFortlaufende Nummer
114.09.1999Über dem Abgrund 10
214.09.1999Der Bankraub 11
321.09.1999Nasses Grab 12
428.09.1999Viren an Bord 13
505.10.1999Blinder Alarm 14
612.10.1999Die falsche Maßnahme 15
719.10.1999Knockout 16
811.01.1998Schulbus in den Tod 17
902.11.1999Gejagt 18
1009.11.1999Unter Verdacht 19
1116.11.1999Mission ohne Ausweg 20
1223.11.1999Das kalte Herz 21
1330.11.1999In letzter Sekunde 22



Staffel 3


#TV-PremiereEpisodentitelFortlaufende Nummer
114.03.2000Irrfahrt am Himmel 23
221.03.2000Die Todesfalle 24
328.03.2000Zwischen Leben und Tod 25
404.04.2000Die Feuertaufe 26
511.04.2000Fahrt zur Hölle 27
618.04.2000Kidnapping 28
725.04.2000Fehler im System 29
802.05.2000Gehetzt 30
909.05.2000Die rollende Bombe 31
1016.05.2000Todessprung 32
1123.05.2000Horror 33
1230.05.2000Bodenlos 34
1306.06.2000Corrers Rache 35



Staffel 4


#TV-PremiereEpisodentitelFortlaufende Nummer
117.09.2002Geisterflieger 36
218.09.2001Rettet Susi 37
325.09.2001Geld gegen Leben 38
402.10.2001Tödliches Wissen 39
509.10.2001Liebe oder Tod 40
616.10.2001Super-Gau 41
723.10.2001Mobbing 42
830.10.2001Kokain 43
906.11.2001Mr. Radio 44
1013.11.2001Die einzige Zeugin 45
1120.11.2001Lebendig begraben 46
1227.11.2001Kamikaze 47
1304.12.2001Auf der Flucht 48



Staffel 5


#TV-PremiereEpisodentitelFortlaufende Nummer
112.03.2002Der Zug 49
219.03.2002Flucht ohne Wiederkehr 50
326.04.2002Plutonium 51
402.04.2002Höhenangst 52
509.04.2002Inferno 53
616.04.2002No risk, no fun 54
724.09.2002Verschollen 55
801.10.2002Rufmord 56
908.10.2002Im Labyrinth 57
1015.10.2002Geldtransport 58
1122.10.2002Die Flammenfalle 59
1229.10.2002Rache um jeden Preis 60
1312.11.2002Blinde Passagiere 61



Staffel 6


#TV-PremiereEpisodentitelFortlaufende Nummer
107.10.2003Bodyguard 62
214.10.2003Blitzschlag 63
321.10.2003Verschüttet 64
428.10.2003Das Feuerwerk 65
518.11.2003Falsche Zeit, falscher Ort 66
625.11.2003Freier Fall 67
702.12.2003Blutige Spende 68
809.12.2003Vier Elemente 69
920.07.2006Mikado 70
1027.07.2006Abgezockt 71
1110.08.2006Blindflug 72
1217.08.2006Flammenmeer 73
1324.08.2006Heißer Schnee 74



Staffel 7


#TV-PremiereEpisodentitelFortlaufende Nummer
131.08.2006Flug ins Ungewisse 75
213.07.2008Spiel mit dem Tod 76
331.08.2008Feuer! 77
407.09.2008Der Tunnel 78
514.09.2008Eisiges Gefängnis 79
614.09.2008Ohne Skrupel 80
721.09.2008Gegen jede Chance 81
828.09.2008Angst! 82