1) I'm not sure I'd list the JetCruzer in my vita

Actually, we were called in late in the game and helped fix it so that
it could be certified. So, I guess its not that embarassing. BTW - I
forgot to mention the CIL Eagle in the list. I helped design that one,
but didn't take part in the fixing in that case.

2) What about all the wetted area and weight that a conventional configuration
drags around in the big empty tailcone?

Its hard to do a one-on-one comparison, but the Starship and King Air
are pretty close. Swet on the Starship was 1695 feet^2. The King Air
200 is 1522 feet^2.