Definitely not. Our ship, the Drunken Mammet, found sector 8 after sector 7 on an SC06->SC07 trip. So it doesn't have to be a solo trip. It's just luck.

I suggest mammet-bashing. Complain loudly about your mammet in the company workshop. Try to find an artist to do a sketch of a mammet and threaten to burn a copy every time the mammet doesn't find the sector you're looking for. Rename your airship to shame your mammet.