Flight Simulator for an Entertainment Venue: What You Need to Know

Flight-simulator experiences are rapidly gaining popularity — and unlike many trend-driven entertainment formats that quickly wear out their novelty, demand for them isn't slowing down. This isn't a fad; it's a format built to stay relevant for the long term.

The reason is simple: the vast majority of people have never piloted an aircraft. Even those who fly regularly as passengers want the chance to sit in the cockpit at least once and take the controls themselves.

But it's more than just an attraction. Each flight is guided by an instructor who can answer any question about aviation — from how the aircraft works to what pilots actually do. That makes a flight simulator both an emotional experience and an educational one: an intelligent gift with a dose of action. It's also a chance to "fly" to places you'll likely never visit in real life.

That combination makes flight simulators an excellent gift — not a generic obligation gift, but a genuine experience. In some markets, gift-certificate sales account for up to half of a venue's total revenue. The primary sales channel today is online, not shopping-mall foot traffic. Mall traffic certainly still converts, and if a suitable small footprint is available in a mall, it's worth considering — but it shouldn't be the main bet.

Space and infrastructure requirements

Formally, the rear observer row is an optional add-on to the base cockpit. In practice, for this business format it's close to essential: depending on room size, 4–5 guests — and in an extended configuration, up to 5–6 guests — can use the experience at the same time. The screen area needs to be fully enclosed from outside view so the person at the controls keeps a complete sense of flight.

We offer several options for an additional observer section seating 3 to 5 people. Guests take turns flying the aircraft, performing takeoffs and landings at airports around the world — a format that works well for groups of friends, families, and corporate events alike.

You'll also need a quiet briefing area (5–8 m²), a customer waiting zone, and a small storage area for headsets and spare parts. Most operators carve this out of existing floor space without structural changes.

Equipment specifications that actually matter

When choosing equipment for commercial use, three factors determine whether it lasts for years or starts causing problems within the first few months.

Projector — laser only. The most common mistake in choosing a visual system is using a standard lamp-based projector. These aren't built for continuous commercial operation — the lamp needs frequent replacement. You need a laser projector; today, the clear leader in this segment is Optoma. Picking the right model isn't trivial — it's easy to end up with an unstable image or unnecessary maintenance costs. Projector selection should be handled by engineers with real experience installing a large number of cockpits — they know which models reliably deliver a quality image at 2K or 4K resolution.

Equipment reliability and spare-parts availability. The market offers equipment kits from various suppliers and manufacturers, and what matters is that the specific equipment you choose meets its stated specifications and runs without failures. Parts fail occasionally — that's normal for complex technical systems. What matters is that the manufacturer you buy from always keeps spare parts in stock for emergency replacement.

Technical support. A flight simulator is a complex combination of hardware and software, and responsive technical support from the manufacturer is critical — especially in the early stages, before your own team learns to service the system.

Next steps

We offer a full range of support services for launching a flight simulator at your venue. Drawing on our experience opening more than 15 flight simulators, we can advise on which premises to choose and what to look for — ventilation and air conditioning, ceiling height, window and door placement — and recommend the optimal layout. That can be done either through partition construction or with our capsule-based solutions, which are assembled inside the space without a construction crew.

See the Boeing 737 NG simulator specs →