C172s ........ It'll always be one you 'drive' rather than 'strap on and become part of'.
Yes, they are certainly "driven" while on three wheels, though they might get closer to being flown, the fewer wheels are in contact with the ground
.
I absolutely agree that a pilot can be "at one" with a type of aircraft, and quite new to many others. By the time you get to be "at one" with the next type, you're getting rusty with the first! Many decades ago, I was just beginning to be at one with the right seat of a Piper Cheyenne, then I had to fly out a 150, 'hadn't flown one in years. I had to "remember" the "speed" at which one "rotates" a C 150. It was a pretty embarrassing bit of airmanship!
I've never flown a Chipmunk but, I've heard wonderful things about their handling. If you can be "at one" with a really nice handling plane, that's great. What about being at one with a plane you can only drive? Is there more hands and feet skill involved in keeping the ball in the middle, of a plane in which you
must use the rudder?
The KLM pilot who kissed on the 747 last week, did so after a last minute runway change, from a curved mid final. Not a hint of slip or skid at any point, and the right mains kissed on a moment before the lefts, in the crosswind. When the unforseen was presented to the pilot, his being at one with the 747 made his transition seamless.
I opine that a pilot cannot be unconsciously competent, and ready for the unforseen, until they are at least somewhat "at one" with the plane they are flying.