Flight Experience Bangkok

Situated in central Bangkok only five minutes’ walk from Sala Daeng BTS station, it’s not easy to find Flight Experience Bangkok, as it’s hidden amongst a series of buildings on the corner of Silom and Soi Convent. When you come down the stairs of the BTS look for the unmarked entrance just past Soi 1 in between Doitung Cafe and Better Vision glasses shop, around 25 metres before the turning into Soi Convent. In terms of prices, a 30-minute flight costs around 4350 baht, with their most popular 60-minute package costing 6700 baht. With current exchange rates the hour flight is 60 AUD cheaper than in Sydney – a worthwhile saving!

Flight Experience in Bangkok might not be easy to find, but once you get inside the set-up is very pleasing and fuels your excitement for the upcoming flight. They have mocked up the simulator like an aeroplane and the staff members are all dressed like crew, making the experience feel very realistic. The cockpit is the same size as you’d find in a genuine Boeing 737, and with the majority of buttons and switches linked to computers, this is more advanced than some of the simulators used by pilots for their initial training and there is even a live air traffic control you can communicate with, and face it: who hasn’t dreamed of being in charge of the seat belts ‘off’ button?

Before you get behind the wheel (or the ‘yoke’ as pilots call it) you are given a briefing by your instructor. All instructors have pilot’s licenses so you don’t feel too overwhelmed by everything. There will be someone sitting next to you helping with the controls as much or as little as you need, but they won’t let you crash. A session here is suitable for anyone from children as young as five but also those who want something far more genuine than flying on home computers. I have little sense of left or right, but the crew at Flight Experience are very friendly, helpful and speak great English so even if you are a complete novice you will still get so much out of your flight.

There is a choice of 24,000 airports to take off from, so you can pick Bangkok or even the airport closest to your town. In the 30-minute package you get to do two take off and landings. I piloted a takeoff from Hong Kong, and got to fly amongst the skyscrapers before landing. Although the simulator is fixed, the audio and visuals are so good you really feel like you are in the sky, and the detail is impressive. For those who want more of a challenge, the simulator can replicate bad weather and you could even be one of the first pilots to land in Bangkok when it is snowing!

Being a pilot for an hour at Flight Experience Bangkok is a real treat, something you will be talking about for days after. If you’re looking for the perfect gift for the captain in your family, this is the place to bring them.

Flight Experience

MRT: Silom
BTS: Sala Daeng
Address: Sibunruang Building, 1 Convent Rd. Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel: +66 (0) 2 2379895