I'll initially caveat this statement with an acknowledgment that not all NFOs are front seat types with co-pilot duties. That said, number of traps is a measurement of experience behind the boat. If it's a valid metric for Pilots, then it applies for NFOs. Show me an NFO with 1000 traps vs one that has none, both with an equal number of flight hours, and I'll show you, on balance a better NFO (at the boat) - same deal for pilots. Bottom line, it's a measure of experience at the boat, regardless of designator. To discount it, out of hand, is just ignorance.
Brett
I can accept your point for those NFO's that have co-pilot duties, but I will argue that there are more valid measures of experience for an NFO.
My comments and views on this have come from having an NFO skipper get acknowledged for 1,000 traps when hundreds of his traps were in the BACK SEAT with no view or role in the trap. I have had both an NFO CO get 1K traps and a Pilot CO get 1K traps. There was a vast difference in how this was perceived by the wardroom & Airwing. The Pilot, while a bagger, was acknowledged to be skilled and experienced. The NFO, while he's been around was not perceived to be any different and actually was still though to be pretty much a buffoon in the AC.
Of course my orig comment was posted as a joke, hence the "gentle ribbing" comments.