RE: CG Question
At the very least given that it's a straight wing, he'll need booms or some other mechanism to provide some counterbalance... and of course some vertical surfaces for stability.... then he'll need a nose to move the engine and C.G. forward.
IMHO too much re-invention of the wheel.
I'd just fashion another fuse and tail...
I have one large Edge 540 plane where I trashed the fuse and tail, but the wings are pristine.
I've started working on a profile fuselage and grabbed a tail from another crashed plane of similiar size.
I know this will fly.