How were you vectored into the hold if you did not hold?

Sounds like vectors to final to me, in which case you are required to go straight-in
unless you request the procedure turn and are given an amended clearance.

That holding pattern could also be used for timed approaches, in which case you
would also be expected to proceed straight in once cleared for the approach.

Finally, let's say you missed the approach and park in that pattern until the
weather improves. Because it is a pattern that is lined up correctly and not more
than 300 feet higher than the FAF altitude, you can go straight-in once cleared for
the approach.

The procedure turn is for folks arriving from every which way to GEP.

Mitty wrote:

Question for the controllers he

The KMIC VOR-A is a pretty vanilla approach. The FAF is the Gopher VOR (GEP)
about 5 miles north of the field. The missed procedure is to go back to GEP and
hold north, left turns -- depicted as a dotted race track on the plate. (The FAA
link seems to be broken for me, at least:
http://naco.faa.gov/d-tpp/0405/05158VGA.PDF)

I have been vectored into that hold (not entered from a miss) and then cleared
for the approach. At that point, I flew the inbound leg towards the VOR/FAF and
continued down the approach path to KMIC. Seemed logical to me and it certainly
seemed to be what Minneapolis Approach was expecting.

I have a CFII friend who thinks this was improper -- that since the hold was not
depicted on the approach plate (as part of the approach) that I should have
flown the full approach including the procedure turn. I guess his thought is
that I wasn't really receiving vectors since I was in the hold.

Who is right here? Me and Approach, or my friend?

TIA,
Mitty