Winkie.
You'd be nuts to jump in and fly a taildragger if you only had time in a C150, but you know that.
AFAIK in the UK its legal to do so, not sure whether JAA has changed that. I
think JAA has moved towards the US in that complex, high performance & tailwheel endorsements are now needed. Having said that I still don't have a clue what is going on with JAA.
I'd expect around 10 hours of instruction to become comfortable with the beast. They are not like the nosewheel planes, taildraggers are incredibly feisty on the ground and can get away from you. Only yesterday a mate of mine with around 200 hours in a supercub went off road and took out a runway light. Even more experienced pilots than that can easily end up in the gravel.
You might now find that insurance requirements are more strict than experience requirements, I know several places (in the US) which require 25 hours tailwheel time before they will let you take one out.
Ooops, forgot to say what's involved.
Well, for a start you have to learn how to taxi properly and make sure the control surfaces are all pointing in the right direction.
Then you have to learn how to take off properly, control surfaces pointing in the right direction.
Then you have to learn what the rudder is for, plenty of dutch rolls to get used to coordinated flight.
Then you have to learn how to land properly. You cannot come in at an angle and expect the wheels to straighten you out when you hit the runway like in a nosewheel.
You should start with 3 point landings. Proper full stall landings. Then wheel landings if you have a cross wind, remember to keep the control surfaces pointing in the right direction. Three point take offs, short field landings and take offs. These things will stop on a sixpence.
Then you get to taxi at high speed on the runway, one wheel on the ground, use of rudder to keep the nose pointing in the right direction.
Keep practicing these until they come naturally and you don't get your butt kicked all the time.
Basically, you learn how to fly a real airplane, not one of these pussy spam cans
Once you do learn to master the taildragger, you will not want to fly those spam can nosewheels again.
[ 14 November 2001: Message edited by: slim_slag ]