Just my opinion.......FWIW..........
When/when not to make an address to the passengers and deciding upon the ammount of detail can be extremely difficult to decide upon.
Being brutally honest is the easiest option ; no brain needed, but may induce panic.
Being "economical" with the facts reduces the chances of panic, but may backfire if it's discovered that the "economy" is later interpreted as lying. At best, confusion will reign. At worst, panic may ensue, plus a distrust of any further statements or instructions from you.
The difficulty lies in striking a balance. If there was a problem and I felt it necessary to inform the passengers, then I always opted for "reassuring honesty", for want of a better phrase. I definitely
never would lie.
Two additional problems ----
Trying to sound calm is essential, but if you're in a bit of a "tizz" yourself (pilots are human beings BTW), then it may be better to keep quiet or delegate. Delegate = to cabin crew, which, from experience, can lead to problems in the translation.
This may sound ridiculous, but it's a sweeping assumption that that the lone pilot has enough
time and spare brain capacity to actually fit an announcement into the whole process. If you're a pilot, remember those simulator sessions and you'll maybe agree. If you're not, then I doubt that, with respect, you can appreciate the sheer workload
in some situations. If nothing else in this ramble, I hope that I've conveyed an understanding of the potential for truly huge workload. That's when I remind myself of the phrase I used in an earlier post -
Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. It reminds me of the priorities. Note how Communicate - radio calls (to ATC and Company and from weather/status broadcasts) and passenger address comes last !
Glad to hear from anyone who disagrees. Always keen to learn !
Sorry to ramble on, but this is interesting stuff, especially some of the comments from the non-pilots.
