As kids growing up in the Caribbean, Jay Bassue and his brother built cockpits out of cardboard just to imagine what flying might be like. Decades later, Jay put together a flight simulator in his New Orleans apartment using Temu.
“It was a no-brainer,” he said. “I jumped on it immediately.”
The Louisiana dermatology resident (28) had spent years wanting a flight simulator, but entry-level rigs ran $800 to $900, enough to keep it on the shelf through his teens and twenties. The Temu cockpit, including the base, stands and seat, shipped from a US warehouse in three days. He assembled it in an evening, fixed his own controls and computer to the mounts, and now flies most mornings before work. It cost a third of the rigs sold by other retailers.
A hobby going mainstream
For years, building a home simulator meant spending thousands. That barrier has come down with affordable entry-level setups. Online marketplaces like Temu may have widened access further, putting new buyers like Jay and the companies selling these setups in the same place.
The global gaming-simulator market, which spans racing and flight rigs, was worth $7.5 billion in 2024 and is on course to nearly double to $14.8 billion by 2030, according to Research and Markets, as esports and virtual reality pull in newcomers.
Salman Safdar, executive director at simulator maker Ansible Motion, told the Financial Times he has seen an explosion of gaming-class simulators in recent years, with competitive esports now open to anyone who wants to step in.
Sellers find new buyers
GTR Simulator, a California racing simulator brand, opened a Temu storefront in 2024 and found that new crowd.
The company was founded in 2011 by Howard Yu-Hao Yang, a former Grand-Am driver, and Kevin Nai-Chia Chen, a former Formula 2 driver, and built its reputation on professional racing cockpits. On Temu, its buyers ran younger than customers on its own site, and its entry-level setups outperformed expectations. The platform also brought in casual gamers who, GTR found, often stick with the hobby.
“Casual gamers have also become long-term enthusiasts, giving us feedback that has influenced our product design,” said GTR co-founder Yang.
The next build
More than a quarter of US Temu shoppers say the platform helped them start a new hobby or sport, according to a 2025 Ipsos survey commissioned by Temu. For Jay, the rig is a starting point and he is back on Temu looking for more controls and parts.
He and his brother, an aerospace engineer and licensed private pilot in Savannah, Georgia, are planning to modify the cockpit together with 3D-printed and laser-etched parts. It is a grown-up version of the cardboard builds of their childhood.
“This is a continuation of how we used to do it back home,” he said.
Prices and availability are accurate as of the time of publication and are subject to change without notice. Please check the retailer’s website for the most up-to-date pricing information.
