Any Cessna tailwheel ought to do the trick. Unfortunately the trainers today are all Citabria or some sort of Cub. Decent airplanes, but not as responsive as the Cessnas. Very forgiving particularly the Citabria family.

The Citabria High Country explorer is a great overall tailwheel aircraft. 7GCBC 180 hp. Jack of all tailwheel elements, certified aerobatic with flaps. It feels much lighter regarding the control forces than the Scout, which has more fuel capacity, a bigger wing, steeper deck angle (longer gear struts) designed more for back country ops. The Scout is nice for when you need range. I remember my arm getting fatigued flying various maneuvers in the Scout.

2.5 to 3 hour legs are OK in the High Country Explorer but unless traveling for something necessary, I prefer 1 to maybe 2hr legs, and it’s more fun to make stops in this sort of aircraft anyway.

I would like a 180hp over 160 or less when considering frequent passengers, travel baggage, and definitely better for aerobatics. With aerobatics in this aircraft you will notice all your errors and lack of coordination in the beginning, more so than a Decathlon, so it’s a great initial trainer. A Decathlon is easier to fly an aerobatic sequence vs. the 7GCBC with no inverted systems and more so lacking the constant speed prop. If aerobatics is a growing focus with your flying- the Decathlon is a better choice, but you will loose versatility.

I am talking more recent decades of the ACA Citabria and know the variations are extensive the further back you go.

Does your Bonanza really handle like a Ferrari?

Any Learjet pilot would scoff at the relatively poor, sluggish handling qualities of your slow, incapable airplane.

And a T-38 pilot would lament the poor, 6,000 feet per minute climb rate of the Learjet, only one-fifth of the talon's ROC. And he would not be impressed with anything that didn't roll 720 degrees per second, or doesn't do 500 knot, 5-G, ten thousand feet loops.

And the Cub pilot is laughing at them all, because his airplane is freedom and joy embodied in yellow, with the door open in flight.

Or, we could not be worried about comparing our totally unrelated airplanes to one another, and recognize they are all fun and special in their own way, not better or worse.

The Champs and Citabrias are 1945 airplanes, they're a lot of fun to fly and very easy to takeoff and land for a tailwheel. Of course they're not as fast as your Bonanza and they handle differently. But they're an absolute blast. The adjectives you use to describe them easily modify your airplanes' performance and characteristics to some other aviator.

Don't be a snob.