The room has a focus
Someone is always flying and everyone else is watching a takeoff or a landing happen somewhere in the room, so the conversation takes care of itself instead of stalling over drinks.
A Holiday Party Where Everyone Flies
A flight simulator holiday party at Aviator.NYC puts your group in the captain's seat of a professional flight simulator instead of around another restaurant table. Our new Midtown Manhattan studio opens October 1, 2026 at 35 West 31st Street, Suite 901, with events guided by instructors who fly professionally for major airlines. Groups of 2 to 16 guests can use the full simulator lineup once the Cirrus simulators arrive, delayed to 2027. You rent the space itself at a flat price, from $520 for a two-hour single-simulator event up to a forecast $3,495 for three hours of the entire private studio, so the cost does not change with headcount.
Every guest takes the controls, whether or not they have ever touched an aircraft, and the people between flights have the lounge and briefing area to themselves. Holiday events run November and December 2026 at the new studio. December dates are limited and confirmed in the order inquiries arrive.
2 to 16 Guests
Flat price for the space, never per head
FAA-Certified Instructors
Led by pilots who fly professionally
Midtown Manhattan
Opening October 1, 2026 at 35 West 31st Street, Suite 901
We're moving to Midtown: here's what changes
Book any date and we will run it. If we move to the new studio before your event, we will contact you directly with the new location.
- Today: G1000 events bookable at Hudson Square
- October 1, 2026: Midtown studio opens at 35 West 31st Street, Suite 901
- 2027: Cirrus simulators (delayed)
We are moving to a new studio this fall. If we relocate before your event, we will contact you directly and give you all the details of the new location.
Booking now
Book the G1000 holiday session
The smallest configuration seats up to 6 people and is bookable right now for any December date. Larger configurations stay quote-only until the Cirrus simulators and the VR room are online. The Cirrus simulators are delayed to 2027.
- 3-hour session with briefing, crew rotations, and debrief
- One flat rate for the whole group, shown at checkout
- Led by an instructor who flies professionally
We are moving to a new studio this fall. If we relocate before your event, we will contact you directly and give you all the details of the new location.
What Is a Flight Simulator Holiday Party?
It is a private event where your group flies professional flight simulators with an airline pilot instructor, at our Midtown Manhattan studio. You book the space for two or three hours. Guests rotate through the captain's seat, and everyone else watches the flying from the lounge.
Nobody is left on the sidelines
The usual office-party split, colleagues who barely know each other making small talk while the rest talk shop, does not survive a room where there is something to watch.
No experience required
The instructor sets up each flight, handles everything technical, and talks each guest through it. First-time flyers land the aircraft on their first try more often than not.
Who Runs Your Holiday Party?
Instructors and operators run every station, so the person who organized the party gets to enjoy it rather than manage it. Station setup, reset and cleanup of the room are handled, and nobody from your team has to operate anything.
- Fly professionally for major airlines
- Majority
- Approved AATD simulator
- FAA
- Pilots trained
- 500+
Flight Instructors
One FAA-certified instructor on each training simulator, so a full-facility event includes two. They brief your guests and tailor each flight to whoever sits down.
Station Operators
One operator runs the VR room, and the full facility adds one more on the floor keeping everything moving. Station setup, reset and cleanup of the room are folded into the price and never itemized.
Second Instructor
Booking a single training simulator with a bigger group? A second instructor is $130 per hour for the event duration. Full-facility events already include two.
Who Is Flying With Your Guests?
Every event is led by an FAA-certified instructor who flies professionally for a major airline. They set each flight up around the guest sitting down, so first-time flyers and aviation enthusiasts both get something out of it. No one in your group needs any flying experience.
Julian Alarcon (ATP, CFII, MEI)
Boeing 777 First Officer, Major U.S. Airline
Founder of Aviator.NYC, Julian is an FAA Gold Seal Certified Flight Instructor with over 4,500 hours of instructional time. He has flown everything from gliders to charter jets to wide body airliners and earned all his instructor ratings while serving on active duty.
Peter Lynde (ATP, CFII, MEI)
Boeing 737 Captain, Major U.S. Airline
Peter has been with Aviator.NYC since day one and is a familiar face in many of our YouTube videos. A former instructor at CP Aviation, he taught primary, commercial, and instrument students, with a focus on advanced flight techniques.
Elijah Burgess (ATP, CFII)
ERJ Captain, Republic Airways
Elijah Burgess is an FAA Gold Seal Certified Flight Instructor and the founder of EBFlight.com. He holds a B.S. in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and currently flies the ERJ-170/190 as a Captain for Republic Airways.
Which instructor runs your event depends on the date you book.
How Do You Book a Holiday Party?
Holiday events are arranged through a quote while online booking is still closed, which also lets us match the configuration to your headcount and the date you want.
Send your headcount and dates
Tell us how many guests and which dates you are holding. December fills first, so groups with a fixed date should inquire well ahead.
We come back with a configuration and a quote
One reply covers availability, the space that fits your group, catering if you want it, and the flat price for the event.
Your date is confirmed
Dates are confirmed in the order inquiries arrive. Online booking for the event menu opens once the Cirrus delivery date is confirmed.
How Much Does a Holiday Party Cost?
Holiday parties are priced by the space, not per person, from $520 for a two-hour single-simulator event to $3,495 for three hours of the entire private studio. Headcount does not change the price. It sets the duration, since larger groups need the three-hour format for everyone to fly.
- Flat price per space: from $520 for a single simulator to $3,495 for the full private studio. Never per person.
- Group size picks the duration: about two guests per machine fits the two-hour event; larger groups take the three-hour format.
- Included: instructors and operators at every station, plus setup and cleanup of the stations and the room. Catering can be arranged for a fee, quoted per event.
- A December party for 15 to 20? The full-facility three-hour event is built for exactly that. Request a date below.
Duration: group size picks it, not the price. About two guests per machine fits the two-hour event; larger groups take the three-hour so everyone gets meaningful time at the controls.
Lounge and privacy: reserving two or more stations includes the lounge and briefing area. The full facility is the only fully private configuration.
Staffing: staff run every station, and setup and cleanup of the stations and the room are included. One instructor comes with each training simulator booked. On single-simulator events a second instructor is $130 per hour.
Catering: not included. Bring your own, or we arrange it for a fee on top, quoted per event. Food, drinks and decorations are yours to set out and clear.
Cirrus and VR: VR room prices step up once the motion platforms go live. The Cirrus simulators are delayed to 2027, and Cirrus and full-office events are quote-only until then.
How Many People Can You Host?
Between 2 and 16 guests. A single simulator suits small teams of up to 6 in the three-hour format. The full studio, with the VR room and both simulators running, holds up to 16 and is the only configuration that gives you the whole place privately.
Headcount drives duration, not price
Roughly two guests per machine fits the two-hour event.
- Past that, take the three-hour format
- The price never changes with headcount
- Everyone gets meaningful time at the controls
16 is a planning target, not a wall
Under 16 changes nothing, and a couple over is manageable at the same price.
- Each turn at the controls gets shorter
- The room gets tighter
- Which is why we plan to 16
Larger teams take the full facility
Three stations running at once keeps a big group moving.
- Twenty people cycle through without a queue
- The lounge holds everyone between flights
- The whole studio is yours privately
What's Included in a Holiday Party?
The space, the crew, and the flying. A full-facility event runs with two FAA-certified instructors, one on each training simulator, an operator running the VR room, and one more on the floor. Setup and cleanup of the stations and the room are handled. Food, drinks and decorations are yours to bring, set out and clear, or we arrange catering for a fee.
FAA-certified instructors
One instructor is included per training simulator booked, so the full facility includes two. On single-simulator events a second instructor is available as an add-on.
A trained operator on every station
One operator runs the VR room, and the full facility adds one more on the floor keeping everything moving. Nobody from your team has to run anything.
The lounge and briefing area
Any event using two or more stations includes the lounge, which is where guests between flights end up. The full facility books the entire studio privately.
Pilot logbooks for your guests. Time on the two training simulators is real, loggable instruction with a certified instructor beside every guest, and may credit toward a pilot certificate or rating within FAA limits. Time in the VR room is recreational. Order a pilot logbook per guest and the instructors sign the entries. The standard pilot logbook on Amazon
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Can We Bring Food and Drinks?
Yes. Most groups bring their own food and drinks, or have them delivered, or use their own caterer, and plan for a couple of their people to set it out and clear it. We can arrange it instead, for an added fee on top of the space rate. Tell us which you prefer when you request a quote.
Bring Your Own
- The lounge and briefing area are yours during multi-station events
- The vintage airline galley cart hosts drinks and ice, and a mini refrigerator keeps anything cold
- Use your own catering team if you have one
- We coordinate delivery timing so food lands between flights, not mid-flight
We Arrange It
- Not our default: ask and we will quote it for your date
- Labor starts at $100, with the food and its preparation quoted on top
- Ordering, delivery timing, setup, and the cleanup are all on us
- Dietary needs covered on request: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and allergies
- About one week of lead time if you want us to arrange the food
- Final headcount about three business days before the event
- Mention catering in your request and we include it in the quote
We run deliberately lean: we are a simulator training facility, and on event day our whole crew is committed to keeping the aircraft flying. The flying and the facility are ours; the event inside it is yours to shape, and most groups prefer it that way.
Images are AI-generated renderings of the planned Midtown studio.
The Simulators Your Guests Will Fly
Four stations under one roof at the new Midtown studio, all genuinely different: the G1000 from opening, the Cirrus SR and SF50 Vision Jet simulators in 2027, and a VR room built for groups. All three training simulators are fixed base, so motion sickness is not a concern on those stations, and guests can always switch to a fixed-base simulator once the VR motion platforms go live.
VR Room (2 motion simulators)
Both VR flight simulators with a dedicated operator. The F/A-18 Hornet, F-16 Fighting Falcon, A-10 Thunderbolt II, and P-51 Mustang lead the recreational launch lineup, alongside a Cessna 172 and a Cirrus SR20 for visual maneuvers only in X-Plane 12.
- The launch lineup includes recreational F/A-18 Hornet, F-16 Fighting Falcon, A-10 Thunderbolt II, and P-51 Mustang missions, plus a Cessna 172 and Cirrus SR20 for visual maneuvers only in X-Plane 12
- One station uses mixed reality so you can see the physical controls and your hands; the other is fully immersive VR
- Every airplane, including the Cessna 172 and Cirrus SR20 flown for visual maneuvers only, is flown with a force-feedback flightstick, combat throttle, and rudder pedals, with no yoke and no throttle quadrant
- Both stations add 2 degrees of freedom of motion, pitch and roll, after opening
- A session is 60 minutes total, with 45 minutes in the simulator
G1000 Flight Simulator
Flight training airplanes, a Cessna 172 and similar. This is the certified equipment people train in toward a license.
- Flies the trainers most pilots learn in: Cessna, Piper, and Beechcraft models
- Garmin G1000 avionics, the workhorse of modern flight training, in production since 2004 and still shipping today as the G1000 NXi
- FAA-approved training device on Precision Flight Controls hardware: with an instructor, the time is real, loggable training
Cirrus SR Series Simulator
Delayed to 2027The Cirrus SR20 and SR22, the airplanes famous for the whole-airframe parachute. Delayed to 2027. It will run at the new Midtown studio.
- Flies the Cirrus SR20, SR22, and SR22T, with the CAPS whole-airframe parachute built into the real airplane
- Touchscreen Garmin G3000 avionics, just like the real Cirrus, the same suite found in single-pilot jets
- Dual seating, side by side, matching the real airplane
SF50 Vision Jet Simulator
Delayed to 2027The Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet, the only civilian jet built with a whole-airframe parachute. Delayed to 2027. It will run at the new Midtown studio.
- Flies the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet, the only civilian jet with a whole-airframe parachute
- Touchscreen Garmin G3000 avionics, just like the real Vision Jet
- Single seat, matching the real airplane, with its own FAA-approved training device
Images are AI-generated renderings of the planned Midtown studio.
What Does Everyone Do While Others Fly?
Nobody queues. With the full studio running, four aircraft are in the air at once, which is what lets 16 people rotate through in three hours without a line forming. Guests with no interest in aviation still want a turn once they watch a colleague land at an airport they recognize.
The right seat is a real job
Guests can sit beside whoever is flying as working crew.
- Works the radios
- Reads the checklist and calls the flows
- In a real airplane, that seat is half the crew
There is always something to watch
A takeoff or a landing is happening somewhere in the room at all times.
- Four aircraft in the air at once
- Observer seats close to the action
- What keeps a room like this moving
The lounge never holds everyone at once
The group spreads across the room by design.
- Four guests flying at any moment
- Several more crewing or observing
- The open event space stays comfortable
Each flight is built around the guest
The instructor tailors every flight to the person in the seat.
- Fly over a city you know
- Try a landing in rough weather
- Enthusiasts narrate, everyone else gets a guide
How Big Is the Space?
The simulator stations have their own bays, separate from the lounge and event area where your guests stand, eat and talk. The full studio hosts up to 16 guests once all stations are online.
The lounge runs along the street windows
Sectional seating, an eight-foot conference table, room to lay food out, and a mini refrigerator for anything that needs to stay cold.
Each station has its own bay
The VR room is its own glass room at the window end. The G1000 sits about thirty feet away against the opposite wall, and the Cirrus SR and SF50 Vision Jet simulators have their bays at the back.
The practical limits
One men's and one women's restroom, and an elevator that fits about four people comfortably. Those are the honest reasons we plan events to 16 guests.
Where Are You, and When Should We Book December Dates?
Holiday events run at our new Midtown Manhattan studio, opening October 1, 2026 at 35 West 31st Street, Suite 901. December fills first, so groups holding a specific date should inquire well ahead. We confirm dates in the order inquiries arrive, and the new event menu is quote-first until online booking opens.
The new studio
Opening October 1, 2026 at 35 West 31st Street, Suite 901. Midtown opens October 2026 with the VR room and the G1000 simulator. The Cirrus SR and SF50 Vision Jet simulators are delayed to 2027. Every holiday event runs at the new studio.
Our current studio
Hudson Square, Lower Manhattan, at 131 Varick St, by appointment only. Holiday events do not run there.
Quote-first until booking opens
Online booking for the event menu opens once the Cirrus delivery date is confirmed. Until then, a quote request is what holds your place in the queue for a date.
Holiday Party FAQs
What event planners ask us most about holiday events at the studio
Looking for party favors or a team gift? Flight simulator gift certificates are delivered digitally, stay valid for one year, and can be redeemed for any session.
Planning a Different Kind of Group Event?
Request Your Holiday Party Quote
Tell us your headcount and the dates you are holding, and we will come back with a configuration and a quote. December fills first.