PART 135 PA42 OPERATOR OBTAINS INITIAL VECTOR TO ELY FINAL APCH COURSE AND IS HANDED OFF TO THE NEXT CTL SECTOR. THE NEXT CTLR DISPUTES APCH PROC AND APPLIES ANOTHER APCH PROC. PLT IS CONFUSED AND DISTR WITH THE APPARENT CHANGE OF OPERATING PROCS.

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NORMALLY WE (ACFT X) RECEIVE VECTORS TO JOIN THE 360 DEG RADIAL OF THE ELY VOR TO START THE APCH AT VIANT INTXN. THE CTLR ON FREQ 128.55 CLRED ME AS SUCH. UPON CHANGING TO FREQ 133.45; THE CTLR WANTED ME TO GO OVER HARRY INTXN. THIS WAS APPROX 30 MI OUT OF MY FLT AND THEN REQUIRED 2 COURSE REVERSALS. I DID NOT WANT TO GO OVER THERE; SO I ASKED IF I COULD JOIN THE APCH FROM THE AIRWAY. HE SAID YES; SO I JOINED VICTOR 269; INTERCEPTED THE DME ARC AND COMMENCED THE APCH. THE CTLR THEN SAID I COULD NOT DO THAT AND TOLD ME TO GO TO THE VOR FOR THE VOR-A INSTEAD OF THE VOR/DME. HE SAID I NEEDED TO GO OVER THE IAF (HARRY) (V293) BEFORE I COULD START THE APCH. FOR AS LONG AS I HAVE FLOWN; MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT IF I WAS BEING VECTORED TO THE FAF OR IF THE INITIAL APCH FIX DID NOT LIE ON MY RTE; I DID NOT HAVE TO GO TO THE IAF. ALSO; ANY PORTION OF A DME ARC WOULD BE CONSIDERED AN IAF. THE CTLR SAID IT WAS A NEW RULE. FOR 15 YRS I FLEW WITH THE OLD RULE AND WAS CONFUSED BY THIS NEW RULE AND DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE CLRNC AND THEREBY WAS FLYING IN CONTRADICTION TO THE CLRNC. IT SEEMS ODD THAT AFTER THAT DAY; RADAR VECTORS TO JOIN THE 360 DEG RADIAL WERE OK. THIS PUT ME IN A SIT; FLYING SINGLE PLT; WHERE I HAD TO CHANGE APCHS AFTER THE FIRST ONE HAD ALREADY BEEN STARTED. THIS LED TO CONFUSION DELAYS AND A DISTRESSING RIDE FOR MY PAX. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR ADMITS TO 'HAVING A MIND SET' PRIOR TO MAKING THE APCH; THUS BEING LESS RESPONSIVE IN REACTING TO NEW INFO. ANALYST ENCOURAGED PLT TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE ATC FACILITY WHENEVER HE HAS A QUESTION ABOUT SVC.