Thirty hours and no x-c training? Will this guy live long enough to get
his ticket at this rate?

I used to think the same thing, but nowadays I seem to meet a fair number of
student pilots who haven't even soloed by 25 hours. Fragmented training is
a HUGE waste of time and money, in the long run.

Incidentally, according to the article the student *has* stuck with his
training, which is a tribute to his resiliency, IMHO. (I've known pilots
who quit flying for less.)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"