INSTRUCTOR PLT OF AN SMA SEL DURING A XCOUNTRY TRAINING FLT DIVERTED TO LAND DUE TO LOW FUEL CAUSED BY UNEXPECTED HEADWINDS AND COMPLAINED ABOUT ATC SVC IN CLASS B AIRSPACE.

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AS INSTRUCTOR ON XCOUNTRY; I ELECTED TO MAKE A FUEL STOP AT MEMPHIS; TN (MEM); AS OUR FUEL RESERVE WAS DETERIORATING IN A VERY STRONG XWIND. WE WERE IMMEDIATELY CLRED INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE AND WERE TOLD TO EXPECT RWY 27. SOON WE WERE GIVEN A RWY CHANGE TO RWY 18R. THEN IN A COUPLE OF MINS VECTORED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION (270 DEGS) AWAY FROM THE ARPT AS THE FUEL SIT BECAME MORE CRITICAL. WE DID A VFR HOLD. NO WAY WERE WE GOING TO FLY AWAY FROM THE ARPT WHILE STILL APPROX 6 MI AWAY AND OVER POPULATED CITY AREA. (APCH CTLS SEEM TO THINK YOU ARE A LEAR JET.) MEM APCH SUGGESTED GETTING US TO INTERCEPT A 5 MI FINAL WHERE A 1/2 MI FINAL WAS MORE THAN ADEQUATE FOR A CESSNA 172. WITH FAA'S 'WE ARE THE LORD' AND 'HOLIER THAN THOU' ATTITUDE; THERE WAS NO WAY WE WERE GOING TO DECLARE AN EMER FOR PRIORITY AND PUT UP WITH ALL THE FAA'S PAPERWORK WRITE-UP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THEY DID LAND WITH SUFFICIENT FUEL; BUT THAT HE WAS VERY CONCERNED FOR A WHILE THAT HE WAS GOING TO RUN OUT OVER THE CONGESTED CITY OR THE 'BIG RIVER!' HE WAS ADVISED THAT IT IS BETTER TO DECLARE AN EMER TO ATC DUE TO LOW FUEL THAN TO RUN OUT AND ENDANGER HIS STUDENT'S LIFE AND THAT OF POSSIBLY OTHERS IN ORDER TO AVOID POSSIBLE RPTING TO THE FAA. THE ONLY WAY THAT ATC CAN ASSURE PRIORITY HANDLING IS THROUGH THE PLT'S DECLARATION OF AN EMER.