ACR X ON VISUAL APCH MADE UNAUTH 360 DEG TURN.

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WX WAS GOOD VFR. APCH CTL HELD US 4100 FT AGL UNTIL IN CLOSE PROX TO THE ARPT. WE CALLED THE ARPT 'IN SIGHT' SEVERAL TIMES AND WERE TOLD THAT THE TWR WAS UNABLE TO CLR US FOR A VISUAL APCH BECAUSE OF AN ACFT ON A PRACTICE INST APCH TO ANOTHER RWY (OUR REQUESTED RWY DID INTERSECT WITH THE PRACTICE INST APCH ACFT'S RWY). APCH CTL EVENTUALLY CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL APCH AND SWITCHED US OVER TO TWR. WE CONTACTED TWR AND NOTIFIED THEM THAT WE WOULD BE MAKING A L 360 DEG TURN TO LOSE ALT. TWR ASKED IF APCH CTL HAD CLRED US FOR THE 360 DEG TURN. MY RESPONSE WAS; 'WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 26.' TWR ASKED THE SAME QUESTION A SECOND TIME. MY RESPONSE WAS THE SAME. TWR RESPONDED WITH 'OKAY.' AFTER COMPLETING FLT; I WONDERED WHY THE TWR WOULD NOT ISSUE US THE VISUAL APCH CLRNC. I CONSULTED THE 1995 FAR/AIM. I WAS NOT ABLE TO LOCATE ANYTHING THAT WOULD SUPPORT NOT ISSUING SIMULTANEOUS VISUAL APCHS IN THE PRECEDING SCENARIO. HOWEVER; THE GLOSSARY DEFINITION OF VISUAL APCH STATES THAT 'THE PLT MUST; AT ALL TIMES; HAVE EITHER THE ARPT OR THE PRECEDING ACFT IN SIGHT.' ARPT IS DEFINED AS; 'AN AREA ON LAND OR WATER THAT IS USED OR INTENDED TO BE USED FOR THE LNDG AND TKOF OF ACFT AND INCLUDES ITS BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES; IF ANY.' TECHNICALLY; OUR 360 DEG TURN TO LOSE ALT WOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED US TO KEEP THE ARPT IN SIGHT AT ALL TIMES; THEREFORE VIOLATING THE VISUAL APCH CLRNC. ALSO; PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING: 1) GRAND FORKS APCH CTL IS PROVIDED BY MIL PERSONNEL AT NEARBY GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE. 2) GRAND FORKS TWR IS NOT RADAR EQUIPPED. THE TWR IS STAFFED BY FAA ATC CTLRS. 3) GRAND FORKS INTL ARPT IS THE HOME OF THE UNIVERSITY OF N DAKOTA FLT TRAINING FACILITIES. STUDENT TFC IN THIS AIRSPACE IS HIGH. 4) COM BTWN APCH AND TWR APPEARS TO BE POOR FROM MY POINT OF VIEW.