Has he built prototype rocket engines like Integza, Ben Krasnow, or Tech Ingredients? They're still primarily divulgadores (there isn't a good word for this in English) but they have a certain amount of practical experience getting things to work.
OTOH at the point that you're EDM-drilling thousands of micron-scale holes in your combustion chamber for film cooling, you may start to need practical experience with different things.
OTOH at the point that you're EDM-drilling thousands of micron-scale holes in your combustion chamber for film cooling, you may start to need practical experience with different things.