[anvildoc]

I agree with the other commenters. PM is not a promotion. PM is a very hard, thankless job that is hard to get right. Trust me --- you don't want it. The PM clearly needs help and it seems like you can fill some gaps he has. I do not know the org structure in your company, but I would lobby for you to become the "Lead" developer -- and you can work hand in hand with the PM to make sure the project is organized correctly, that the requirements are being gathered and met, that the tools the developers need are in place. The PM should be able to take the brunt of the "external" networking for the team, and you can take the brunt of the "internal" networking to the team. You can help and learn from each other, as I am sure he has some skills that you do not (they may be soft skills).

[ozuvedi]

It clearly is a tough job. Communicating technical as well as business process at the same time can be very challenging.