Eben, you are well informed! lol. Yes, I had the chance, and forgive me to say so.... the privilege to have met Jake. He is really a sound and honest guy. And needless to say that he knows his stuff! Gawd damn, you should hear the ideas that he has got and what he has done in the past with engines!!
I would like to add, that his expertise goes this far(bear with the little off tangent story):
There was woman that drove a Honda car of some kind, forgot the model, in the USA. For some reason the engine dropped a valve and destroyed itself. The piston was to bits, and the head got chewed up in the process. The husband, a salesman of some kind, with no previous mechanical experience had a poke around the head, to try and figure out who/what/why etc.... He just couldn't get it out of his head, and after a few days sat down with the head to try and figure out/think of an idea to avoid this problem of dropped valves in the first place. He then had this genius idea of how to build an engine WITHOUT valves. Kinda hard to explain, because I got no bloody idea how it works!!! Anyway, this guy started some extra research and found that it is actually possible from a mechanical perspective!
Anyway, he then needed some financial backup, so had to look for some investors. Attorneys were involved, to make sure that the investors can't steal his idea. Patent rights got started and Jake were called in for some expert advice. When Jake walked in, he was presented with a contract were he was sworn to secrecy and if word got out of how this works, he will loose EVERYTHING he has got, AND MORE! Long story short, he didnt believe that it was possible at all, as he head sleepless weeks(after he was initially told he was needed for his expertise on this matter), and couldnt come to a solution of how an engine could work without valves!? When the parts were laid in from of him, his response was "Is this it?" Only after he was explained how this puzzle worked, he was like "Doh! Why havent ANYONE else thought of this before? It is so simple!"
All that was said of this idea, is that you can SEE the piston/s while the engine is running!!!!!??? What the hell?!? And that this technology can be applied to ALL types of engines, fuel, diesel, car, motorcycle, planes etc.
Believe this or not, but I do. A person like Jake, just simple cant, or even wont tell BS like this.... So yes, I believe him, and look forward to the day that this will become public news/technology, to be able to say "I was told of an idea that an engine can run 'without' valves, and am glad to see it in the flesh!"
Now, you can see this as one of those 'fishing tales', or believe that it could be possible
PS. I will put on my flame suit, just in case
