haha wow, that is like that top gear episode where the wheel was on one side, and the accelerator/clutch/brakes were on the other side.....must have been a pretty interesting CRM predicament.
As for the rest of your post, I think the T-6 will absolutely set studs up better for the T-45 than the T-34 did.....for those guys going jets anyway. Typically the learning curve in jet BI/RI/Fams was a little less steep for the Vance dudes than the rest of us who came from the chuck. That all being said, it could also have been a Navy vs AF thing......
That CRM probably consisted of "It's doing what?...oh shit...". Definitely not a fun position to be in when you realize the controls just broke.
I'm sure it does. T-6 is a nice airplane and definitely fast when you want it to go. I wont lie, it's nice doing 240 on course rules on the way back. I'm not in RI's yet, so I cant really tell you what it's like. Seems like a lot of learning how to use the FMS system.