Originally Posted by Wheel Landing

I'm writing the following to honestly try to help you understand the answer to your questions.

-First off, don't knock the many different flying jobs out there. While a crop dusting pilot may not have the highest level of proficiency flying an ILS, he will be a pilot that is very precise and comfortable with recovering from unusual attitudes as might be encountered in an upset in a larger airplane. He will also have alot of hands on flying that may put him ahead of his peers when accomplishing performance maneuvers such as a V1 Cut.

-The fact that you are questioning the validity of flying a 172 with respect to flying a larger airplane tells me that you honestly need more time flying a 172 to understand that even after 1500 hours, you won't have it all figured out. It is at about that point that you will probably realise that you have much more to learn. Then you will be ready to move on with open mind and ready to learn as much as you can as you progress on to a new aircraft and an operation that involves new challenges.

-While most Captains are certainly capable of controling the aircraft while operating as a single pilot, most if not all will tell you that operating a transport category aircraft especially in the part 121 world is a two pilot operation. Automation malfunctions. Pilots make mistakes that are almost always caught by the other pilot. While there is always mentoring going on, it is not supposed to be a single pilot operation with a brand new pilot grasping to the static wicks on the tail trying to keep up.

Again, this is meant to answer your questions above and is not meant to be condescending in any way. I wish you the best in your current flying and ask that you try to learn as much as you can early on while trying to have fun. You are now building the foundation of the pilot you will become for the rest of your career.

I wish you the best of luck in persuit of you career. Above all else, try to thoroughly enjoy your journey along the way. At the beginning, that is why we all started this career. The people who seem satisfied at the end are the ones who enjoyed the flying and experiences along the way.

Good Luck.