FutureFlight
Transcend Will Use HyperDrive Magnetic Levitation Technology for Vy 421 Tilt-wing VTOL Aircraft
The company has partnered with another Boston-based start-up, Maglev Aero, to replace electric motors.
A digital rendering of the Vy 421 VTOL aircraft
Transcend Air plans to install MagLev Aero's HyperDrive magnetic levitation technology as part of the hybrid-electric propulsion system for its Vy 421 VTOL aircraft. (Image: Transcend Air)

Transcend Air is to use Maglev Aero’s magnetic levitation HyperDrive propulsion system for its Vy 421 tilt-wing VTOL aircraft. Announcing the collaboration on February 29, the two Boston-based start-ups said they are engaged in numerical analysis and simulation of the technology and aim to produce a subscale demonstrator in early 2025.

Under the plan, four HyperDrive units would replace a quartet of electric motors installed horizontally in the Vy 421’s tailfin. The aircraft’s main power source will be a pair of GE Aviation’s 2,500-shp CT7-8 turboshafts that will drive the propellers, with all other systems running off electrical generators connected to these engines.