big pistons -- yes, airwork for familiarization is necessary of course, the more so if the aircraft type is very different frm any flown before. What I meant is that the bulk of the time needed (presuming that you know how to handle the plane in the air, recognise and respond to stalls, etc.) is going to be spent learning to handle the plane on the ground, and practising take-offs and landings.
It never ceases to amaze me how much time some people need. Doing my PPL on a tailwheel aircraft may have been the single most trouble-saving decision of my flying life, in that I've never had any problem learning to land a new type of plane. The same basic principles are sound for any type, perhaps it's just that with a tailwheel trainer you can't mistake a wheelbarrow for a proper landing.