Shiver Me Timbers wrote:

Instead of designing and building something that may or may not work
and taking years in the process why don't you just go out and
buy the closest equivalent and have a certified airplane in the process.

The Canadair CL-215.

Big, roomy, radial engines, certified, you can redo the interior to
your own specs, and if you want the big bulgy widows on the sides....
why not.

CL-415 would be better with enhanced performance and more dependable
engines...

Course if you want the real thing:

http://www.barnstormers.com/listing....es%40cs-ent.ca

And cost a fraction of what a new CL-415 geauxs for...