I think you're right on there Subman, it's fair enough to expect a challenge in a game such as this, since it is billed as such. You have to say, if they'd let it be known that the 'game' was merely an extended training level in preparation for playing online and making your own maps, I'm sure it would discourage buyers. One of the reasons I rarely play IL-2 online is that I used to get accused of cheating because I used to kick people's asses all the time, simply because I had bothered to learn and employ the best tactics, so I often prefer offline games too, and I generally prefer co-operative stuff against decent AI when online.
I'm all for sophisticated mission/map designers being packaged with a game (it's one of the reasons I bought ARMA, and I actually only bought the mission disk for that so I'd get the DC-3 to put in my own missions), but if the mission and level designer is so good, I think you've a right to expect the developers to have put it to good use with an engrossing plotline that takes more than a couple of days to complete.
Chock