Learn why GSX ground services disappear or restart mid-flight, how to identify a Couatl reset, and which profile or add-on fixes to try.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator, FSX and Prepar3D, GSX ground services normally disappear after take-off because GSX ends the departure service session once the aircraft is airborne. If the menu reloads or boarding and pushback restart while parked, Couatl has usually restarted, lost the aircraft or airport state, or hit a profile or add-on conflict.
Is it normal for GSX to disappear after take-off?
Yes. GSX controls ground operations, so its departure vehicles and active service sequence are removed once the aircraft leaves the ground. The menu may later change when GSX detects the arrival airport and a new ground phase.
That is different from GSX restarting while the aircraft remains parked. If vehicles vanish together, the menu shows an initialisation message, and the service sequence returns to its starting state, the Couatl scripting engine has reset.
What exactly has disappeared or restarted?
| Symptom | Likely explanation | First action |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicles disappear after take-off | Normal end of departure services | No fix is required |
| The MSFS toolbar panel closes, but vehicles keep moving | The toolbar interface closed; Couatl is still running | Reopen the GSX panel once |
| All vehicles vanish and GSX initialises again | Couatl stopped or restarted | Check the engine, update status and logs |
| Boarding or pushback resets after changing aircraft state | The simulator recreated the aircraft object | Avoid reloading the aircraft, changing livery, slewing or teleporting |
| The fault occurs at one airport only | Scenery, parking data or profile mismatch | Test without the custom airport profile |
| The service waits for a door, brake or engine state | Aircraft integration is waiting, not restarting | Satisfy the state shown in the GSX menu |
How do I stop GSX services from restarting?
- Confirm when it happens. A single disappearance just after rotation is expected. Repeated resets at the stand, during taxi or while preparing for arrival indicate a fault.
- Check whether Couatl actually stopped. In MSFS, reopen the toolbar panel; in FSX or Prepar3D, call the GSX menu again. If GSX starts as a fresh session, follow our checks for a stopped or blocked Couatl engine in MSFS.
- Keep the aircraft object stable. Do not reload the aircraft, switch liveries, use slew, teleport to another position or change developer states during boarding, fuelling or pushback. These actions can make GSX treat the aircraft as a new object and discard the active sequence.
- Use one ground-service controller. Avoid requesting the simulator's native pushback while GSX controls the tug, and disable overlapping pushback or ground-handling add-ons for the test. Our GSX package-link and competing ground-tool checks cover the MSFS setup layer.
- Update GSX and restart the simulator fully. Run the supplied GSX updater or installer, verify that its packages are enabled, then close and reopen both the simulator and Couatl. Repeatedly selecting Restart Couatl during a service is not a repair; that command deliberately clears the active operation.
- Test without custom profiles. Temporarily disable the aircraft and airport profiles involved. If the reset stops, check that the profile matches the exact aircraft variant and installed scenery rather than another terminal layout. See our explanation of how GSX profiles are installed and matched.
- Reproduce it with a simple combination. Use a stock airport, an uncomplicated aircraft and no other ground-service tool. If Couatl still terminates everywhere, inspect its log immediately after the reset and check whether security software has blocked or quarantined a component.
Why does GSX fail with only one aircraft or airport?
A problem limited to one aircraft usually comes from its GSX profile, door mapping or payload and fuelling integration. Watch the service status before restarting anything: a request to open an exit, release the parking brake or change an engine state means GSX is waiting for the aircraft, not crashing.
Complex airliners may manage doors, chocks, fuel and ground power through their own systems. For two common cases, use our Fenix A320 and PMDG 777 integration checks rather than applying a general Couatl fix.
If only one airport is affected, suspect a profile built for a different scenery edition, duplicate airport packages or stale airport data. Run the airport once without its custom profile, ensure only the intended scenery is active, and allow GSX to finish rebuilding or reading its airport database after scenery changes.
What if GSX returns at the destination?
GSX becoming available again for arrival handling is normal. After landing, stop at a recognised stand, set the parking brake and place the aircraft in the state requested by the menu before calling deboarding or turnaround services.
If the destination menu repeatedly initialises, reports no valid parking or loses every service while stationary, treat it as an airport-detection problem rather than normal in-flight behaviour. Test the destination without its profile and duplicate scenery first; restart Couatl only after parking, because doing so earlier erases the service state you are trying to diagnose.