Learn to use GSX Pro in Microsoft Flight Simulator for boarding, fuelling, catering, pushback and arrivals, with fixes for common problems.
To use GSX Pro in Microsoft Flight Simulator, start at a parking stand, open GSX from the in-sim toolbar, request the required ground services, follow each on-screen prompt, then use GSX pushback before taxi. Configure the aircraft and airport profile first when doors, vehicles or stop positions do not align.
What do you need before using GSX Pro?
GSX Pro must be installed on the Windows PC running Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 or 2024, with Couatl running alongside the simulator. It does not work on Xbox or PlayStation because those platforms cannot run its external Windows components.
Confirm that the installer-created package links point to the Community folder used by your active simulator installation. Our GSX installation and first-use checklist covers Couatl, Community-folder links and the checks to make before operating any services.
Load the aircraft at a gate, ramp or parking stand rather than on a runway. Let the aircraft initialise before opening GSX from its toolbar icon; service choices depend on your position, aircraft state and the facilities assigned to that stand.
GSX Pro departure workflow
The most reliable departure order is aircraft preparation, fuelling and catering, boarding, door closure and then pushback.
- Position the aircraft: Start at the intended stand with the parking brake set and engines shut down. If necessary, use GSX's reposition command before configuring the cockpit, because repositioning may reset or disturb an aircraft that has already been prepared.
- Set the planned load: With complex airliners, enter fuel, passengers and cargo through the aircraft's own EFB, FMS or load manager first. Treat that system as authoritative; GSX animations do not automatically prove that the aircraft's actual weight and balance have changed.
- Request ground services: Open the GSX toolbar menu and request deboarding for a turnaround, followed by catering, refuelling and boarding as required. Some services can overlap, while incompatible choices remain unavailable until the active service finishes.
- Follow the door prompts: GSX can operate doors automatically on supported aircraft, but other add-ons require door control from the cockpit or EFB. Open only the door named in the prompt. A vehicle apparently stuck beside the aircraft is often waiting for the correct door rather than suffering a fault.
- Complete boarding: Wait for both the GSX completion message and, where applicable, confirmation from the aircraft's load system. Do not summon the simulator's native baggage, catering or fuel vehicles at the same time, as this creates duplicate equipment and conflicting operations.
- Request pushback: Close the doors, confirm that loading equipment is clear and choose the appropriate GSX pushback route. Left or right normally describes the aircraft's final nose direction, not the tug's first movement; named routes supplied by an airport profile may be clearer. Follow every parking-brake and engine-start instruction. Our guide to MSFS pushback methods and controls explains the wider tug and steering conventions.
- Wait for clearance: Do not taxi until the tug has disconnected, the bypass pin has been removed where simulated, and the ground crew has given the clear signal.
How do you use GSX Pro after landing?
Select an arrival stand through GSX once you have cleared the runway and can operate the toolbar safely. You can request a Follow Me vehicle where available, then use the stand's marshaller or visual docking guidance to stop at the configured position.
Set the parking brake, shut down as required and connect the jetway or stairs when offered. Request deboarding, baggage unloading and any turnaround services needed for the next sector. A stand without docking guidance is not necessarily broken; that facility may not be assigned by the airport profile.
Why are vehicles, doors or jetways misaligned?
Misalignment usually means the active aircraft or airport profile does not match what is loaded in the simulator.
| Configuration | What it controls | Check when |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft profile | Door coordinates, service points, cargo loaders and passenger capacity | Vehicles stop beside the wrong door or loaders use the wrong side |
| Airport profile | Stopping positions, pushback routes, vehicle staging, marshallers and docking systems | Problems affect one airport or particular stands |
| GSX global settings | General service behaviour, passenger display, audio and other shared options | The same behaviour occurs with several aircraft and airports |
A profile made for another version of the same airport scenery can be worse than having no custom profile. If one stand is wrong, adjust it with the GSX parking editor. If the whole airport is displaced, check for an incompatible profile, an outdated scenery version or duplicate airport packages.
Aircraft variants also matter: a door layout made for one fuselage length may not fit another. Users of that particular add-on can follow our A32NX-specific door, fuel and flyPad configuration rather than applying generic airliner settings.
Why is GSX Pro not working?
Most GSX failures come from Couatl not running, incorrect package links, unmet service conditions or a conflicting profile.
- The toolbar icon is missing or keeps loading: Verify that Couatl is running and that both GSX packages are linked to the active Community folder. Restart Couatl or the simulator after changing packages or installing an update.
- No services are available: Move to a recognised parking stand, set the parking brake and shut down the engines where requested. Runway starts and unmarked apron positions may not expose normal gate services.
- A service never progresses: Read the latest on-screen prompt. GSX may be waiting for a door, a fuel quantity, the parking brake or completion from the aircraft's own loading system.
- Vehicles appear twice: Avoid calling native simulator ground services while GSX is active. Reducing the simulator's own airport vehicle density can also prevent unrelated traffic from obstructing GSX equipment.
- Only one airport behaves incorrectly: Check the airport profile and remove duplicate scenery packages before editing every stand manually.
- Problems began in MSFS 2024: Check package links, Couatl, updates and profile conflicts using our focused MSFS 2024 GSX troubleshooting steps.
The GSX reset command can clear a service sequence that has genuinely stalled, but it also removes active vehicles and cancels the operation. It will not correct a bad aircraft or airport profile.