If you're talking about escort "VIP" missions, its a mixed bag. There have been complaints up and down since Counter-strike game mod was launched 11 years ago. Some people don't mind VIP mission, while others are adamantly opposed to them. Personally, I agree with you, I hate them.
You suggest being able to order the Zeppelin around... however, that's nearly as out of place as the mission you're complaining about. There is no command system and as a solo player without a party it is unnecessary and would ultimately be confusing if it was implemented only for this mission.
I think the biggest issue is the fact you receive no practice with your dragon skills prior to the final mission. The issue is compounded by the ability to start in FoV without even playing through ED. You are simply given all the skills, including the new and seemly unexplained nuke ability and expected to perform. What I think is frustrating for players playing on a lower difficulty setting is the reason why players play on casual... they don't want to repeat a sequence over and over again. They want the fluidity that comes from playing through it once and never failing a single sequence. It is indeed out of place for a mission to be so challenging on what was previously a casual game.
I think the fix can be accomplished in a less obtuse manner... Make the zeppelin nearly invulnerable with better offensive damage. On lower difficultly the zeppelin should be doing most of the work for you; it should be almost like an interactive cutscene. To improve gaming experience, the cooldown on "Eye of Patriarch" should be reduced to 1/2 or 1/3 so casual players can enjoy the thrill of taking out defenses in one swoop. Cooldown and zeppelin (health and damage contributions) may scale with difficulty to provide additional challenge.
