In article , BillJ
wrote:

I had a surprise reaction from approach controller while entering the
GPS 23 at UCP:
http://www.naco.faa.gov/d-tpp/0709/05842R23.PDF
I was doing a final pre-checkride lesson, and about 25 NW of UCP. In
IMC, assigned heading 250 at 4000.

I'm confused. If you're 25 NW of the airport, why were on on a heading 250
vector? That takes you further away from the airport.

Side note: Notice the two other IAFs at Mercy and Volan. Mercy is on
North/South airway, and Volan on East/West. (First question: do we all
agree that the note that approach is NA from Volan WESTBOUND makes no
sense, it should be EASTBOUND? Similar to NA from Mercy northbound.)

I don't understand the note at all. Both the MERCY-ZARTO and VOLAN-ZARTO
segments are marked NoPT. Given that, I don't understand why the note is
needed at all, and why it only applies to arriving at those fixes from
certain directions. Other than that, making the PT NA for westbound
arrivals at VOLAN makes sense, but the prohibition for northbound arrivals
at MERCY seems backwards to me.

Anyway I thought the student might get to Zarto still at 4000 realize
there was time to descend to 2600 before Wobut and just turn inbound the
few degrees required.

Um, I'm guessing you made a typo up above and you really started this
approach 25 NE of the airport, not 25 NW?

The 530 asks "do you want to hold at Zarto" and I
saw him pause and think about it and he selected "yes", which seemed
like a good answer (the only really correct answer I thought).

Yeah, by my book, that's the only correct answer too. Unless you are on
vectors to the FAC (being cleared direct to the IAF is *NOT* vectors to the
FAC), or established on a NoPT segment, you need to do the PT. One lap
around a racetrack and drop 1000 feet in the process, to cross ZARTO
inbound at 3000. Makes sense to me.

If the controller didn't want to have you do the PT, there were two
reasonable things he could have done. One was vector you to the FAC, the
other was to clear you "direct MERCY, cleared GPS 23 approach" (assuming
you really were 25 NE of the airport).

So controller says "...that is incorrect. All entries in the arc from
Volan to Mercy are NoPT!!

Not the way the chart is drawn. Look at, for example, the ACY GPS 13;
that's got terminal arrival areas (I think that's the right name) charted.
If they're not charted that way, they don't exist. The controller is just
plain wrong.