Your destination airport  weather is clear with  light and variable winds D estina tion ai r p o r t Figure 6-13. This is a good time to assess self and fatigue. Are  you running late? Have you checked the destination weather yet?  Remember that when things are going wrong, they do not get better  with time. Figure 6-14. The second point in applying the 5P check is just  before takeoff. The third point at which to review the 5 Ps is the midpoint  of the flight.  [Figure 6-14]  Pilots often wait until the ATIS  is in range to check weather, yet at this point in the flight  many good options have already been passed. Additionally,  fatigue and low altitude hypoxia serve to rob the pilot of  much of his or her energy by the end of a long and tiring  flight day. Fatigue affects memory, attention to detail, and  communication ability. Frequently associated with pilot  error, it also impairs coordination and degrades situational  awareness, seriously influencing a pilot’s ability to make  effective decisions. There are several types fatigue. Physical  fatigue results from sleep loss, exercise, or physical work  while factors such as stress and prolonged performance of  cognitive work result in mental fatigue. Hypoxia or oxygen starvation also robs a pilot of physical  and mental acuity. Oxygen deprivation is insidious because  it sneaks up on the unwary and steals the first line of sensory  protection, the sense that something is wrong. The human  body does not give reliable signals at the onset of hypoxia  so a pilot needs special training in how to recognize the  symptoms. This training is important because the brain is the  first part of the body to reflect a diminished oxygen supply  and evidence of that is usually a loss of judgment. Everyone’s response to hypoxia varies, but the effects of hypoxia  can be safely experienced under professional supervision at the  Civil Aeromedical Institute’s altitude chamber in Oklahoma  City and at 14 cooperating military installations throughout  the United States. To attend a 1-day physiological training  course, contact the FAA Accident Prevention Specialist for  an Aeronautical Center (AC) Form 3150-7.  Once a pilot begins to suffer a loss of energy, he or she  transitions from a decision-making mode to an acceptance  mode. If the flight is longer than 2 hours, the 5P check should  be conducted hourly. This is also a good time to evaluate the  destination airport. Believe it or not many pilots have more  problems on the ground taxiing than on the approach. Because  larger airports have taxiways designed for large transport  aircraft, the vantage point for a 767 crew sitting 18 feet off  the ground regarding taxiways (especially at night) is superior  to that for a pilot of a Cessna 172 with a vantage point at 6  feet. Therefore, at the midpoint of the flight, the pilot should  review the layout, approaches, and the taxiway structure and  its identification system. For instance, at Atlanta Hartsfield,  a pilot is expected to understand the difference between  “inner and outer M” (Mike) taxiway, and at Dulles a pilot is  expected to know where “spot two” is located. Landing is not  the time to review the airport facility. Conversely, if a pilot  does not know the idiosyncrasies of the airport, requesting  progressive instructions and/or letting ATC know he or she  is “not familiar” reflects professionalism. The last two decision points are just prior to descent into the  terminal area and just prior to the final approach fix, or if  VFR just prior to entering the traffic pattern, as preparations  for landing commence. Most pilots execute approaches with  the expectation that they will land out of the approach every  time. A healthier approach requires the pilot to assume that  changing conditions (the 5 Ps) will cause the pilot to divert or  execute the missed approach on every approach. This keeps  the pilot alert to conditions that may increase risk and threaten  the safe conduct of the flight. Diverting from cruise altitude  saves fuel, allows unhurried use of the autopilot, and is less  reactive in nature. Diverting from the final approach fix, while  more difficult, still allows the pilot to plan and coordinate  6-10