By Paul Chappell · Founder, SIMPRO Academy Phuket · Updated June 2026 · 7-minute read
SIMPRO Academy is the only venue in Phuket running professional-grade sim racing and flight simulation hardware — Simucube 2 Pro direct-drive wheelbases, Simtrecs load-cell pedals, and 32-inch curved triple monitors. Sessions are 60 minutes, 1,300 THB per person, and open to complete beginners and experienced drivers alike.
What Is SIMPRO Academy, and Why Is It Different?
SIMPRO Academy Phuket is a professional simulation training centre located at 23 Boat Lagoon Marina, Ko Kaeo. We run two disciplines: sim racing on Formula 1-grade hardware, and flight simulation in a procedural trainer configured around a single-engine cockpit layout. We are not an arcade, a theme park, or a shopping-mall kiosk. We are the venue that Formula 1 teams and commercial flight schools use as a reference point when they talk about professional simulation.
The difference is in the hardware. Arcade setups use belt-driven wheels and plastic pedals. Our racing rigs use the Simucube 2 Pro direct-drive wheelbase — the same unit specified by professional esports academies and privateer GT teams — paired with Simtrecs load-cell pedals that respond to pressure rather than position, exactly as a race car’s brake pedal does. The steering wheel communicates every kerb, surface change, and oversteer moment directly to your hands. There is nowhere to hide bad technique, which is precisely why drivers improve so fast here.
For flight simulation, we use a procedural trainer configured around a generic single-engine cockpit. The avionics logic, radio procedures, and flight model are functional — the muscle memory you build at SIMPRO transfers to a real Cessna 172 or Piper PA-28 on day one of actual flight training.
Sim Racing at SIMPRO: What the Hardware Actually Does
The SIMPRO racing rig specification:
- Simucube 2 Pro wheelbase (direct-drive, 25 Nm peak torque) — the current benchmark for professional sim racing force feedback
- Simtrecs load-cell brake pedal — pressure-sensitive braking that replicates the feel of a race car’s master cylinder
- Three 32-inch curved monitors (triple-screen setup) — 180-degree field of view with no visual dead zones
- iRacing, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Le Mans Ultimate, and F1 2025 — the full suite of professional sim racing titles
What this means in practice: you will feel the difference between a stable car and an oversteering one through the wheel, not just through the visual. You will feel the tyres loading up under braking. You will feel when you’ve missed the braking point by 10 metres. This level of fidelity is why professional racing teams use Simucube hardware for driver training, not cheaper alternatives.
iRacing alone hosts over 80,000 active competitive drivers globally. According to iRacing.com, the platform runs more than 140 series across official manufacturer partnerships with Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes-AMG. When our students race online after their SIMPRO sessions, they’re competing against that community on equal hardware terms.
Flight Simulation at SIMPRO: Who It’s For
The SIMPRO flight sim is used by three distinct groups: people who are curious about flying and want to try it before committing to flight school; active student pilots who want to build procedural fluency between aircraft lessons; and licensed pilots maintaining instrument currency or practising specific approaches.
A Discovery Flight Sim Session runs 60 minutes. You’ll take off from Phuket International Airport (VTSP), fly a coastal VFR circuit, and land back on runway 09 — all under Paul’s instruction. The cockpit responds the way a real aircraft responds. The radios work. The weather is adjustable. You’ll brief before you fly and debrief on the moving map replay afterward.
For student pilots: the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and international authorities including EASA and the FAA all allow approved simulator hours to count toward licence requirements, subject to the simulator’s approval class. Paul can advise which hours are creditoworthy for your specific training programme.
Who SIMPRO Is For — And Who It Isn’t
Honesty matters here. SIMPRO is not for everyone, and we’d rather say so than have you book and be disappointed.
SIMPRO is the right fit if you are:
- A first-timer who wants to try sim racing or flight sim with proper coaching, not just a joystick in a shopping mall
- A hobbyist sim racer looking to feel what a Simucube 2 Pro setup is like before buying one
- A holidaymaker in Phuket looking for a half-day activity that isn’t a beach club or a temple tour
- A pilot student wanting procedural practice between aircraft lessons
- A licensed pilot maintaining instrument currency or practising specific approaches
- A family with teenagers — our minimum age is 10 years old; adult supervision required for under-14s
- A corporate group looking for a team experience that isn’t go-karting or golf
SIMPRO is probably not for you if you want:
- A casual video-game experience — the Simucube 2 Pro has serious force feedback; it will fight you
- A VR headset experience — we run triple-screen for better visual consistency and zero motion sickness risk
- Walk-in access without booking — sessions are pre-booked; same-day slots are sometimes available but not guaranteed
How SIMPRO Compares to Other Phuket Activities
People often ask how SIMPRO compares to Phuket’s kart tracks and other sim venues. Honest comparison:
Where We Are: 23 Boat Lagoon Marina, Phuket
SIMPRO Academy is inside the Boat Lagoon Marina complex on Ko Kaeo, approximately 15 minutes from Phuket Town and 25 minutes from Patong Beach. Parking is free. The marina is air-conditioned and clean; there are restaurants and cafés on site. If you’re staying in Phuket for more than a few days, Boat Lagoon is worth a half-day regardless of the sim session.
We are open seven days a week, 10am to 8pm. Same-day bookings are sometimes available by phone; advance online booking is recommended to guarantee your preferred slot.
Meet Your Coach: Paul Chappell
Paul Chappell is a commercial pilot with 23 years of airline and Chief Pilot experience across Southeast Asia. He founded SIMPRO Academy after identifying that the hardware gap between professional simulation (what airlines and racing teams use) and public simulation (what most people have access to) was still enormous in Thailand.
SIMPRO bridges that gap. Paul leads most coaching sessions personally. When he’s not instructing, the team is made up of coaches with significant aviation and motorsport backgrounds — not weekend enthusiasts running a joystick on a gaming chair.
The global pilot shortage is real and accelerating. IATA projects that the Asia-Pacific region alone will need 185,000 new pilots by 2043. Simulation training is one of the most evidence-backed tools for accelerating pilot development without increasing aircraft operating costs. Paul built SIMPRO with that context in mind.
Book Your Session
Sessions run 60 minutes. Price is 1,300 THB per person, including 7% VAT and 3% booking fee. No prior experience required. Minimum age 10 years old.
