In the high temperature superconducting maglev-evacuated tube transport (HTS Maglev-ETT) system, the air drag is the most principal resistance to the speed improvement and energy conservation. Considering the aerodynamic performance of the HTS Maglev-ETT system has great significance in practical application. As the first step, we experimentally explored the influence of velocity, blockage ratio and airshaft on the air drag of a running maglev vehicle at atmospheric pressure (95.6 kPa in Chengdu), coupled with the simulation by using the ANSYS-FLUENT software. The results preliminarily confirmed the feasibility of the aerodynamic experiments on the HTS maglev-ETT test system, as the drag is proportional to the blockage ratio and the square of velocity respectively. Moreover, airshafts are suggested to be added in the future design of the HTS Maglev-ETT system, aimed at its good relief on the air drag displayed in the experiment and simulation.