June 15, 2025
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 90 minutes, 1,300 THB per person, and open to complete beginners and experienced drivers alike.
SIMPRO Academy Phuket is a professional simulation training centre located at 23 Boat Lagoon Marina, Koh 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.
The SIMPRO racing rig specification:
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.
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 90 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.
Honesty matters here. SIMPRO is not for everyone, and we’d rather say so than have you book and be disappointed.
People often ask how SIMPRO compares to Phuket’s kart tracks and other sim venues. Honest comparison:
SIMPRO Academy is inside the Boat Lagoon Marina complex on Koh 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.
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.
Sessions run 90 minutes. Price is 1,300 THB per person, excluding 7% VAT and 3% booking fee. No prior experience required. Minimum age 10 years old.
Yes, and most of our customers are first-timers. The Simucube 2 Pro wheelbase has strong force feedback, so it will feel more physical than a home setup or arcade rig — but that’s intentional. Paul and our coaches start every session with a hardware orientation before you ever touch the throttle. We adjust the force feedback strength and assist settings to match your experience level. Within 20 minutes, most beginners are driving or flying without assistance.
Sim racing sessions use the Simucube 2 Pro wheelbase, Simtrecs load-cell pedals, and three 32-inch curved monitors. You choose a track and car from titles including iRacing, Assetto Corsa Competizione, and F1 2025. The session is focused on lap time, consistency, and car feel. Flight simulation sessions use a procedural trainer configured around a single-engine cockpit. You fly actual instrument procedures and navigation routes under Paul’s instruction. The debrief includes a replay of your flight path on the moving map. Both sessions are 90 minutes and cost 1,300 THB per person.
Yes. Group bookings are available for up to eight participants in a rotating session format, or we can run a focused competition between drivers on the sim racing rig with live timing on the third monitor. Corporate bookings are popular for team-building events and supplier entertaining. Please contact us by phone or email to discuss timing and group size; we can usually accommodate groups with 48 hours’ notice. Pricing for groups is confirmed on enquiry.
The minimum age is 10 years old. Participants aged 10–13 must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the session. Teenagers aged 14 and over can participate independently. The Simucube 2 Pro force feedback can be adjusted to a lighter setting for younger drivers. Many families book a racing session while kids and parents take turns — it works very well as a mixed-age activity.
No. The skills involved in sim racing — braking points, throttle control, cornering line — are taught during the session. Knowing how to drive a road car helps but is not a prerequisite. We have coached complete non-drivers to respectable lap times within a 90-minute session. If anything, drivers who have learned bad habits on real roads sometimes take a little longer to unlearn trail-braking avoidance and over-assisted steering.
It depends on your licensing authority and the specific approval class of our simulator. In general, approved FNPT (Flight and Navigation Procedures Trainer) hours can be credited toward PPL and CPL training under EASA and FAA frameworks, and CAAT follows broadly similar guidelines for Thai licence holders. Paul can advise on your specific situation. The short answer for most first-timers is: a Discovery Flight Sim Session counts toward your aviation knowledge and procedural fluency, even if it doesn’t count toward your logbook hours.
We recommend booking at least 48 hours in advance to guarantee your preferred time slot. Same-day bookings are occasionally available — call +66 62 962 2822 to check. We do not accept walk-ins without a confirmed booking, as sessions require the rig to be configured and an instructor to be scheduled. During peak Phuket season (November–February), weekend slots fill up 3–5 days ahead; book early if your visit window is tight.
They’re different experiences. Go-karting gives you real physical g-forces, fresh air, and the social spectacle of racing wheel-to-wheel with other people on track at the same time. SIMPRO gives you coaching, data, replay, consistent conditions, and the ability to run circuits that don’t exist in Phuket — Spa-Francorchamps, Suzuka, Monza, Silverstone. Many of our customers do both during a Phuket trip. If you care about improving as a driver and understanding why your lap times are what they are, SIMPRO is the better learning environment. If you want a quick race and don’t care about coaching, go-karting is simpler to access.
One-on-one racing is available on the sim racing rig using iRacing’s online multiplayer or private server sessions. Two participants can race simultaneously from the same rig setup via split-screen or networked setups (confirm with us at booking). For larger groups, we run a time-trial format where each driver sets a lap time and we display live standings on the third monitor. It creates a genuine competitive environment without anyone needing to wait long between turns.
Casual comfortable clothing is fine. Closed-toe shoes are recommended for the driving sessions — flip-flops are not ideal on the pedals. The facility is fully air-conditioned, so there’s no need for special athletic wear. Gloves are not required but some drivers prefer them for the sim racing rig; we have a small supply available. The session is indoors and clean; you will not get dirty or sweaty beyond normal air-conditioned-room levels.
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