birdog writes:

Does this suggest that training should begin in a tail dragger? Would it be
worth the extra effort? Or is the entire topic outdated?

Tail draggers are rare because of the extra skill they require. Starting
training in them would serve little purpose, since the average pilot would
never again have to use those tail-dragger skills. Over time, some things are
best relegated to history and to niche markets.

I think the trend in the future will be towards less and less time spent
training in aircraft different from those that a person intends to pilot.
Airline pilots will train entirely in simulation, and their first flight in a
real aircraft will be their first revenue flight. This is already possible for
some types of training and certification, but not (yet) for ab initio
training.