The enormous distinction between flying solo i.e. as the sole occupant of any type of aircraft and dual (i.e. with a fellow pilot) is something non-aviators would be unlikely to understand. As well as many solo trips in single piston engine aircraft around Europe and Africa I have flown the Atlantic three times in simple, slow, single pistons aircraft without autopilot and on two of those occasions without the magic of GPS. Two of those transatlantic trips were genuinely solo, the other with a fairly inexperienced private pilot. The difference it makes having 1) another pair of hands 2) someone to monitor your decision making 3) a helping hand to solve problems both in the air and on the ground and 4) just another person with you in the aeroplane is extraordinary; it's a bit like the difference between living life with a huge amount of cash in the bank instead of an overdraft having to scrape by using only your wits and luck to keep food on the table.
And what can be better to improve your illusion of being a brave and daring aviator than to have a vastly experienced (on type and in general) commercial pilot and instructor in the aeroplane with you, especially one that is very taciturn and would never "spill the beans"?
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