You won’t notice this as an airline passenger, but as a pilot this is a huge deal.
FIM is the primary NAVAID for jet traffic from Northern California and the Pacific Northwest into Southern California. Literally, every arrival into Burbank, Van Nuys, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Long Beach, John Wayne/ Orange County, Los Alamitos, Camp Pendleton, Palomar and San Diego may navigate via FIM.
At this time there are no RNAV STARs planned or in existence which can substitute for these procedures. The permanent loss of the FIM would require every procedure now utilizing FIM to be redesigned and flight checked. Because of terrain/coverage and location issues, it is unlikely that other VORTACÂ’s will be able to adequately substitute for FIM. Radar and radio coverage is good in the area of FIM. At the current time ATC is vectoring aircraft along the route of flight to compensate for the loss of FIM.
Normally the VORTACs look like a little building with a cone antenna on top. I can’t imagine how hot the fire was when it swept through there.
