reading some of the horror stories on PPRuNe seem to suggest there are as many "type" of pilots as there are as many "type" of drivers on public roads and it scares the sh*t out of me,
Where on earth did you get the idea that air-transport pilots are super-competent heros just because they have multiple stripes on their sleeves? Pilots climb the airline ladder based on their seniority, not comparative competence. The person captaining the A380 all the way to Singapore is not necessarily the best pilot in the company (though he may very well be), he's the pilot who has worked for the company the longest.
Yours is, of course, a question that could be asked of every profession on earth...radiologist, NASCAR driver, lawyer, kindergarten teacher, rocket scientist, plumber, newspaper reporter, neurosrugeon...in fact airframers supposedly engineer aircraft to be safely handled not just by the ace of the base but by the mid-level ordinary pilot and even to safely react to the ministrations of the guy who chose flying over plumbing because he thought it would pay better.