The USA is VERRRRY unusual by world standards —it’s common to fly tiny, all-manual crop-dusters, ultralights, hang-gliders, freaking RC a/c...the works.
A highly automated jet is like the 10th or 50th airplane you fly, usually. This means most US pilots are pretty well acquainted with flying fundamentals and have had a few (or more) emergencies
In the USA, it’s very weird to hear, “a jet was the 2nd plane I ever flew” but that’s not super weird in the rest of the world.
Remember that French heavy that went down in the middle of the Atlantic 6 years ago? As the plane started to stall, the guy simply kept pulling the yoke back, “I prefer to remain in the sky...”
Even an RC guy or a paraglider would know that’s a mistake. But NOT if most of your training was on a computer or a HUGE airplane with tons and tons of thrust.
Also we have more Air Force pilots.
Capt. Sullenberger was a glider pilot, which helped him land his plan in the Hudson: