Matt Whiting wrote:
A few weeks ago I flew a practice GPS RWY 24 approach into ELM. I don't
recall the exact heading coming in, but it was in the sector leading to
CIMAN. I'm new to GPS approaches having just returned after several
years of inactivity, and still haven't got all the nuances figured out.

Welcome to the club. When you figure out all the nuances, let me know;
every time I think I finally understand it all, some controller throws a
new nuance at me :-)

I expected from what I've read about GPS approaches to be cleared to
CIMAN to commence the approach, then sequence to MAPOE, CERUP, etc. with
no PT. Instead, the controller cleared me to MAPOE. At that point I
wasn't sure exactly what was expected, but I was flying with an
instructor and he said I'd need to fly the PT in this case.

I agree with your instructor, and I agree with you too (with a position
like that, I should be running for president, eh?)

Here's how I understand it. If you were approaching from the west, the
normal thing would have been to issue you "direct CIMAN, maintain 4000
until established, cleared GPS-24 approach" In that case, you would
indeed have flown CIMAN, MAPOE, CERUP, etc, with no PT. But, the
controller didn't clear you to CIMAN, he cleared you to MAPOE. It's not
the way the approach was intended to be flown, but it's not illegal.
Since you were not approaching MAPOE from within the 153-333 arc, you
had to fly a PT (in this case, a 4NM racetrack, as charted).

The obvious question is, "Why did the controller do that?". I don't
know, but I can make a couple of guesses. One guess is that he doesn't
really get GPS approaches yet, and just plain did the sub-optimal thing.
One can imagine the conversation in the radar room: "Hey Bob, if I
clear this guy direct MAPOE, is he going to do a PT?", "Beats me, why
don't you try it and whatch what he does". The other guess is that he
had some operational need to delay your arrival and forcing you to do
the PT was the simpliest way to achive that.