Zachary Hergott Annual Aviation Scholarship

“The Zachary Hergott Endowed Aviation Scholarship is given in memory of Zachary Hergott, MSU Denver graduate and aviator. Zach was a graduate of Manual High School in Denver, where he was an all-around athlete and an All-American lacrosse player. He received a lacrosse scholarship from the University of Massachusetts, and at UMA’SS started as a freshman and won Rookie of the Year honors. However, Zach preferred to be in Colorado and left UMA’SS after one-and-a-half years there.

Zach enrolled at MSU Denver and took various classes in various fields. A friend of his, who graduated from MSU Denver and had just started flying for an airline, recommended that Zach take an aviation course. He did, and quickly realized that he had found his passion. He graduated from MSU Denver with a degree in Aviation Technology, with an Air Carrier/General Aviation emphasis, and a rating as a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI).

After leaving MSU Denver, Zach was a CFI for Flights, Inc. at Centennial Airport. He loved to fly and loved to teach others to fly. Zach acquired 1500 hours of flight time and progressed through ratings up to and including Multi-Engine Instrument Instructor (MElI), the highest rating achievable except for Airline Transport Pilot (ATP.)The ATP rating is required for a pilot who flies as a Captain for an airline – a rating Zach would not need for a number of years. He was in the midst of getting that rating, however, when we was killed in a plane crash on January 15, 2009 at the age of thirty-two.

Zachary was known not only for his expertise in flying, but for his character and his reputation for flying safely. He emphasized both expertise and safety to his students. The National Transportation Safety Board investigation of the crash that took Zachary’s life found that the plane he was traveling in as a passenger was being flown by the pilot-in-command in violation of major Federal Aviation Regulations. Tragically, the multi-engine high performance aircraft was being flown grossly overweight and into icing conditions. The aircraft stalled and crashed just outside of Wray, Colorado.

Zach is survived by his parents, Lawrence and Diane Hergott, by his brother, Matthew, and his sister, Leah, all of whom love and miss him dearly. An essay and poem written by Zach’s father about losing Zach are referenced below. The Hergott family is deeply grateful to MSU Denver for helping Zach achieve his destiny as a pilot.

The Zachary Hergott Aviation Scholarship is an endowed scholarship whose annual recipients will be chosen for. their academic excellence and strength of character. One element of the scholarship will be to emphasize aviation safety.

The University’s Financial Aid Office will provide applications of students who meet the above criteria to faculty of the Department of Aviation and Aerospace Science. Applicants in this pool will be asked to respond, in 500 words or less, to the following question,
“Please provide an example of how you have manifested personal integrity in your life.”

• Scholarships to annually benefit one aviation student per academic year
• Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
• Part time or full time enrollment
• Sophomore, Junior or Senior class standing
• Preference is given to applicants who have manifested personal integrity, as conveyed in a brief essay.