Meet the Teams: LEVA Aerospace

Preston Wang acknowledges that drones serve multiple functions, including intelligence and other defense purposes. But before swarms of new military flyers take over the global airspace, “we should first develop aircraft that can be used to help people in desperate need.”

That is exactly what the Sunnyvale, California resident set out to do by entering GoAERO, the global competition to create an entirely new class of emergency response vehicles – flyers that are more effective, efficient, and accessible than helicopters, small drones, and ambulances during natural and man-made disasters, catastrophic extreme weather events, and medical emergencies when every second counts.

“I’m so thankful there is an organization incubating the development of rescue aircraft,” says the 29-year-old who earned his master’s degree from Stanford University and his bachelor’s from Northwestern.

Preston is captain of Team LEVA (Latin for Lift), the currently eight-person team building what he explains is an “electric compound helicopter featuring one main rotor for lift and hover capability, one wing, and two forward-facing propellers. We’re combining the characteristics and capabilities of a plane and a helicopter that behaves like both. It will be a jack-of-all-trades, very versatile. The aircraft will even be capable of launching directly from its trailer to do search and rescue, deliver supplies, and transport patients if necessary.”

The “key” technology of the LEVA flyer is “the architecture itself,” says Preston, who most recently was a propulsion engineer at SpaceX, working on the Booster Quick Disconnect, high-pressure helium, and tank pressurization systems. “It will fly faster and more efficiently than a helicopter with the ability to hover and fly sideways.”

His affinity for flying vehicles dates to his childhood in New York City

“I was always fascinated with planes and helicopters - anything that flew,” Preston relates. “I would watch documentaries on different aircraft in my spare time and browse Wikipedia articles about each one.” 

He would also watch a TV show called “Modern Marvels,” a series on the History Channel and A&E that highlighted the stories of entrepreneurs and inventors who created everyday items, technological advancements, and man-made wonders.

“On that show, they had several episodes on jet engines, jet fighters, experimental planes, and the space shuttle,” Preston recalls. “Those episodes really captivated me with the wonder of flight and aviation.”

That fascination was solidified during a family trip to the USS Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. “Seeing all the planes up close and personal made me fall in love with planes.”

Despite his passion for aviation, family expectations pointed elsewhere. With a father who is an internal medicine doctor and a mother who is a nurse, and grandparents on his father’s side who are also physicians, he was encouraged to pursue a career in the medical field.

He did have the opportunity to volunteer in the emergency room at his local hospital throughout high school, and “always found helping others to be extremely rewarding.” 

Knowing, however, that he couldn’t give up his love for aviation and engineering, he is extremely excited about participating in GoAERO and developing rescue aircraft now. “I’ve found a way to merge both passions, aviation and medicine,” Preston declares.

After completing his undergraduate degree and gaining pivotal experience at SpaceX, Preston made an unexpected decision. Before pursuing his master’s at Stanford, he decided to pursue an entirely different passion – his devotion to his Christian faith. He spent the next three years at Bible school and then served for two years as a campus minister. While it was hard to pause doing engineering work during those periods, he says, “I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to pursue my faith and for being able to mentor students in their faith.”

When Preston eventually returned to his engineering pursuits and enrolled at Stanford for his master’s degree, he brought with him a deeper sense of purpose. While many people view the relationship between science and religion as complex and inherently conflicting, Preston sees them as compatible and complementary, explaining that for him, “there is no wall between the two. There’s never been a contradiction for me. They go hand-in-hand really well.”

In fact, the GoAERO mission bears this out. “We’re building an aircraft,” he points out, “that will help solve very real problems and will be beneficial to humanity.”

Until then, Preston says there are still challenges to overcome, most notably getting the team’s sub-scale model flying by GoAERO’s Stage 2 deadline in September 2025.

He credits the GoAERO expert webinars for the advice and counsel he has received throughout the process, citing specifically the ones with Tom Judge and Rex Alexander. “Their perspectives as emergency response operators were very impactful,” he says. “I also received a lot of help from the experts and their advice on how to succeed in the competition.”

Preston also cites several of his SpaceX managers and coworkers as his mentors. “They’ve really shaped me as an engineer,” he says, pointing specifically to Christopher Bowman, Aria Sheikholeslami, Larry Mosse, Charlie Cox, and John Cox. “There are so many more!” 

With all their guidance – and that of others – Preston says the LEVA team is well on its way to achieving its objectives. Indeed, he wants to focus the LEVA flyer on being able to transport someone who is injured to a hospital as quickly and safely as possible. A few years ago, he relates, he was in a terrible car accident. Thankfully, he was able to walk out of that accident with only a broken nose.

“However, I often think about the ambulance having to navigate through the traffic in order to reach me,” he says. “For others, those minutes of the ambulance fighting through traffic or difficult terrain could be the difference between life and death. I want our aircraft to be able to reach those who are injured and quickly get them to the hospital. I also hope we can put out fires since I live in California and we are routinely impacted by various wildfires.”

Ultimately, his goal is perfectly aligned with that of GoAERO. “For our team and company, I hope our flyer will demonstrate to the world that we can develop an aircraft tailored for emergency rescue and inspire others that we need this aircraft to rescue and save lives.”