Its coming along. I've had three sims with student ECMOs now. All EP sims. It is an entirely different mind set with others in the cockpit, as well you can attest to.
This is meant as no slight or disrespect to the NFO community or training but this is what I've been told by older Prowler drivers and I'm finding it true, just after a few sims:
When an NFO is winged out Pensacola (at least the ones that come this way) they are at the level that we (pilots) were at when we finished T-34s in terms of airmanship. I've found so far that when it comes to decision making/head work things I've had much better ideas as far as what to do, where/when to put it down etc. Another problem is that the NFOs here spend their first six months in the RAG learning the backseat and all associated work.
Radios are the thing that is most frustrating to me right now. We'll be working a simulated malfunction, say a gear issue. We need to obviously coordinate with the controlling agency for airspace to hang out in while we sort out the gremlins. No big deal, just tell them what you want, for how long, and why. ECMO 1 is the one talking on the radios on a standard flight. It is frustrating to hear a disjointed unproductive radio call come from our aircraft. It would be easier for me to just take the radios and work it myself - I know what I want and how to ask for it. Instead I find myself using ECMO 1 as a relay between myself and the controller. Kinda like the childhood game of Telephone.
One last whine, for all of you aspiring aviators there is one piece of gouge as far as talking on the radios that will help you out huge: THINK, KEY, SPEAK.