Learn how to add a custom hangar to an FSX airport using ADE, library BGLs, textures and exclusions, plus fixes for missing models.
To add a custom hangar to an airport in FSX or FSX: Steam Edition, create or choose an FSX-compatible scenery model, package it in a library BGL with separate textures, place it at the airport in Airport Design Editor, compile the placement BGL, then install and activate the scenery folder above the default airport.
FSX normally treats the model and its location as separate elements. The library BGL contains the hangar model, while the airport or placement BGL tells FSX where to display that model, at what heading and at what altitude.
Which hangar workflow should I use?
Use an existing FSX library object for the quickest result, or build a new model when the hangar must match a real structure.
| Requirement | Best method | Files required |
|---|---|---|
| A generic hangar placed at a new location | Select a stock or installed library object in Airport Design Editor | Placement or airport BGL |
| A hangar supplied by another scenery library | Import that library into ADE and place its object by GUID | Placement BGL, authorised library BGL and textures |
| A unique hangar with custom dimensions or branding | Model it, convert it for FSX and compile it into a library BGL | Library BGL, placement BGL and textures |
If the hangar already exists in a recognised object library, there is no need to model it again. Our practical Airport Design Editor workflow covers opening an airport, placing library objects and compiling the project.
How do I place a custom hangar in FSX?
For a unique hangar, the reliable FSX workflow is to model, convert, package, place, compile and test it in that order.
- Open the correct airport. Back up the ADE project, then load the airport by its ICAO code. Never overwrite a default FSX BGL. If an add-on version of the airport is active, use its supplied project where permitted; creating a second complete airport definition can produce duplicate parking, taxi links and elevation conflicts.
- Prepare the model. Build the hangar at realistic dimensions, with its origin centred at ground level. Check outward-facing polygons, and add inward-facing surfaces if pilots will see the interior. A wall that is visible outside may disappear from inside because FSX materials commonly render only one face.
- Convert it for FSX. A common route is to export the model to a format accepted by ModelConverterX, convert it to an FSX MDL, and use Library Creator XML or an equivalent FSX-compatible compiler to make the library BGL. This airport package demonstrates the SketchUp, ModelConverterX and Library Creator XML approach. Target FSX rather than P3D, because a model compiled only for another simulator may not load in FSX.
- Package the textures. Use FSX-readable DDS or BMP textures, preferably with mipmaps, and preserve the filenames referenced by the model materials. Day and optional night textures belong in the scenery package's
texturefolder, not beside the BGL files. - Create the object library. Give the hangar a stable, unique GUID and compile its MDL into a library BGL. Register or import that library in ADE's Library Object Manager so the editor can identify and place the object.
- Position the hangar. Place it at the required latitude and longitude, set the heading, and start with a scale of 1.0 and an altitude of zero metres AGL. Adjust only after checking it in FSX. Also set the object's image complexity low enough for the intended Scenery Complexity setting.
- Exclude the old building. If a default hangar occupies the site, draw a tight exclusion rectangle for the relevant library-object or generic-building category. Avoid an indiscriminate exclusion covering the whole apron, as it can remove windsocks, lights and other wanted objects. An exclusion cannot remove one section of a building if that section is part of a single larger model.
- Compile for FSX. Configure ADE with FSX-compatible compiler tools and compile into a separate working folder. Depending on the project, this may produce airport, object-placement and exclusion BGLs. Do not compile directly into a default FSX scenery directory.
- Install the scenery. Create folders such as
Addon Scenery\MyAirport\sceneryandAddon Scenery\MyAirport\texture. Put the library and placement BGLs inscenery, put their textures intexture, then activate the parent folder in the FSX Scenery Library above any airport package it is intended to modify. FSX: Steam Edition uses the same package structure, although its installation location can differ. - Test the result. Restart FSX, allow it to rebuild the scenery database, and inspect the hangar from several directions. Test day and night, check its floor against the apron, and set Scenery Complexity at least as high as the object's image-complexity value.
When sharing the scenery, include every custom library BGL and texture that the licence permits, but never redistribute Microsoft's stock libraries. This airport illustrates a package with a separate hangar library and texture files, which is a useful structure for keeping model dependencies clear.
Why does the custom hangar not appear in FSX?
A missing custom hangar is usually caused by an inactive scenery layer, a missing library BGL, an incorrect GUID or an FSX-incompatible model.
| Symptom | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| No hangar appears | Confirm that both the placement BGL and matching library BGL are in an active scenery folder. Check that ADE references the same GUID used by the compiled library. |
| It appears only at high scenery settings | Lower the object's image-complexity requirement or raise FSX's Scenery Complexity setting. |
| The model is white or untextured | Move the referenced textures into the package's texture folder and verify their names, material references and FSX-compatible format. |
| The hangar floats or sinks | Use an AGL placement, correct the model's ground-level origin, and check for another airport elevation or flatten BGL. |
| The old and new hangars both appear | Correct the exclusion category, tighten its position, and ensure the custom scenery layer has higher priority than the scenery being excluded. |
| It works only on the creator's computer | The model is probably coming from another installed object library. Include the authorised dependency and all required textures with the package. |
A mistake we see constantly is keeping an older backup with a .bgl extension inside an active scenery folder. FSX loads every BGL there regardless of names such as old or backup; move obsolete copies outside the active folder or change their extension before retesting.
Can an FSX hangar have opening doors?
A standard scenery hangar is static, so a permanently open model is the simplest choice for a usable interior.
Working doors require FSX-specific animation and trigger logic compiled into the model; ADE only places the finished object and does not create that animation. Test the collision geometry as well, because an apparently open doorway can still contain an invisible crash box that prevents an aircraft from entering.