I'm re-examining the issue of hours to convert to tailwheel, after various people think I'm wrong.
I did my SEP / group A tailwheel conversion with Bob Cole (not known for compromise!) in 1:20 at Thuxton.
However, looking more closely at my logbook, at that time I had 400 hours as a pilot, and was actively test flying microlights, plus on microlights and motorgliders I had about 15 tailwheel hours before I started with Bob, that and quite a lot of hours sat next to or behind test pilots on various assessments including a T-6 and DC3.
So yes, I didn't exactly do it in under 5 hours either, nor was I a standard PPL. You chaps are right, I was wrong.
I confess personally I always favour 3-point landings, but certainly wouldn't consider anybody converted if they weren't fully capable of both.
A further thought, I recall the owner of a large microlight school a few years ago telling me that when he went from teaching on Thruster TSTs (tailwheel side-by-side microlights) to the AX3 (a very similar shaped aeroplane, but with doors and a nosewheel) the time to get students solo went from about 15 hours to about 10.
G