How do I set up GSX Pro with PMDG aircraft in MSFS?

To set up GSX Pro with a PMDG aircraft in Microsoft Flight Simulator, update both products, load the aircraft at a gate, confirm GSX detects the exact PMDG variant, then use its built-in aircraft profile or install a matching gsx.cfg. Test every passenger, service and cargo door before boarding or pushback.

GSX Pro setup for PMDG aircraft

Start with GSX Pro’s supplied PMDG configuration because it usually contains the correct door checks and aircraft-specific logic. Add a custom profile only when the built-in configuration does not recognise your exact passenger, freighter, BBJ or other model variant.

1. Update the PMDG aircraft. Run the PMDG updater before troubleshooting GSX, especially after reinstalling the aircraft or moving to another simulator version. Our guide to updating and repairing PMDG aircraft through Operations Center covers that process.
2. Update GSX Pro and verify its simulator target. Use the FSDT installer and make sure the GSX package link points to the Community folder used by the simulator you are launching. Follow our GSX installation and activation checks if Couatl is missing or the toolbar panel does not appear.
3. Load at a proper parking stand. Let the PMDG cockpit finish loading, switch off the engines and beacon, and set the parking brake or chocks. GSX services may remain unavailable if the aircraft is on a runway or still in a flight state.
4. Remove duplicate PMDG equipment. Through the aircraft’s tablet, CDU/FMC or ground-services controls, remove its own stairs, belt loaders, catering trucks and tug before calling the equivalent GSX services. Ground power can remain connected if required, but two sets of visible vehicles will collide.
5. Check aircraft detection. Open GSX from the in-sim toolbar and select Customize Aircraft. Confirm that the displayed aircraft is the exact PMDG model rather than a generic aircraft or another 737, 777, passenger or cargo variant.
6. Inspect the service points. Passenger boarding should use the intended left passenger door, catering should approach the appropriate right service doors, and baggage vehicles should align with the correct cargo holds. Never copy one profile across every PMDG model merely because the fuselages look similar.
7. Save and reload the configuration. After changing a profile, restart Couatl from the GSX controls or reload the aircraft. Test boarding, catering, baggage and pushback separately before attempting a complete turnaround.

Do I need a custom GSX profile for PMDG?

You do not need a custom profile when GSX recognises the exact PMDG variant, positions vehicles correctly and detects its doors. A custom profile is appropriate when it explicitly supports your installed model and corrects a genuine alignment or door-state problem.

• Keep the built-in profile when all doors and vehicles align correctly. It is more likely to receive compatible changes through GSX updates.
• Use a matching custom profile for a specific variant such as a freighter or business-jet layout with different doors.
• Edit manually only when no suitable configuration exists. Check every point in the 3D aircraft editor rather than moving just the first passenger door.
• Revert to the built-in profile if problems begin after a GSX update. A local user profile can override the newer configuration supplied with GSX.

Custom aircraft configurations belong under %APPDATA%\Virtuali\Airplanes\, inside the aircraft-specific directory, with gsx.cfg directly in that directory. Do not place aircraft profiles in the Community folder or inside the PMDG installation. Our aircraft-profile folder and matching procedure explains how to avoid nested folders and mismatched package names.

An aircraft profile controls fuselage doors, cargo holds and vehicle approach points. An airport profile controls stand positions and pushback routes. Changing the PMDG profile will not repair an incorrectly placed parking stop or a bad pushback path.

What changes when using PMDG and GSX in MSFS 2024?

In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, GSX must target that simulator’s Community folder and the profile must match the PMDG package actually loaded there. An MSFS 2020 profile may have suitable geometry but still fail detection if the aircraft package identity or variant name differs.

Keep the simulator installations and their package links distinct rather than copying an entire GSX setup between them. Use our MSFS 2024 simulator-target and package-link checks when GSX works in MSFS 2020 but not in 2024.

How should I run boarding, refuelling and pushback?

Run one controlled turnaround using GSX as the main ground-service system and PMDG’s controls only where GSX instructs you to operate the aircraft.

1. Secure the aircraft. Park accurately, shut down the engines, switch off the beacon and apply the parking brake or recognised PMDG chocks.
2. Request the required services. Complete deboarding first if applicable, then arrange catering, baggage, refuelling and boarding in the order permitted by the stand and aircraft.
3. Follow the refuelling message. If GSX tells you to use the aircraft’s own fuel system, set the planned fuel through the PMDG controls after the tanker is connected. Do not change the fuel independently through two systems during the same service.
4. Operate doors when requested. Let GSX control supported doors automatically when configured to do so; otherwise open or close the named door through the PMDG aircraft. Do not disable open-and-close checks merely to hide a warning caused by the wrong profile.
5. Prepare for pushback. Wait for active services to finish, close the doors, remove PMDG’s duplicate ground equipment and follow GSX’s brake and chock prompts. Release the parking brake only after the tug is connected and GSX requests it.

Why does GSX use the wrong doors or refuse pushback?

Most PMDG and GSX problems come from a mismatched local profile, duplicate ground equipment, an incorrectly latched parking brake or an unfinished service.