I had called them about TW. They kept quoting me ten hours min to solo. But I kept asking them how many hours is typical for just the endorsement as I have no intent to rent and fly it solo for them. They just couldn't our wouldn't respond to that question. I also thought their cost was pretty high for a 140. It was int he ballpark of 172 rentals. In the end I just dropped it and figured that I'll get while on vacation somewhere.
This is probably typical. I did my TW endorsement elsewhere, and as that school explained it to me, their insurance (which can be nasty for old taildraggers used for instruction, hence the typical hourly rates) requires 10 hrs for solo. Getting the endorsement means the same thing as getting to solo. FWIW, I got my sign-off (in a Champ) at just over 11 hrs, which is also probably typical. That worked out fine for me.
I think PGA was just leery of letting you think they were guaranteeing you a certain number of hours to do the add-on. No matter how many hrs you may have in trikes, it can vary. Might even take longer if you have "too much" nosewheel time.
Getting back to the hourly rate: I looked around, and I believe 27V is the only C140 available for solo rental
anywhere. Again, many schools and FBOs just don't want to deal with the insurance for something that probably won't fly as often as the 172s and Cherokees, especially the C-140, with its (undeserved, IMHO) rep. for being "tricky"... and even Champs and Cubs are pretty hard to find for solo rental these days. One might think of it as a premium just for getting to fly a great classic. You don't rent a 140 or a Champ for the nice interior or killer avionics!! Or for performance!!
Some of thoe old-timers are pretty darn cheap, though... 2 summers ago I happened to be working in San Diego for 8 weeks, so I was able to take advantage of their having a nice Champ for $40/hr wet!!! Took me a couple of weeks flying weekend mornings and occasionally after work.
It's gone up a bit, but it's still a good deal. For most transitioning pilots, a Champ could be the easiest taildragger to master, too. You might consider SD for the next vacation, and spend your time in the Champ instead of doing the tourist stuff.
There's a motel right across the highway.
Check it out- their other rates are still pretty good, too. And did I mention the weather?
http://www.firstflightcorp.com/
That being said, I think there's also a Champ at Clow(?)... another possibility.
