AN INSTRUCTOR PLT AND HIS STUDENT FLYING A C172 NEAR MTN RPTS DIFFICULTY WITH ATC DURING HIS TRAINING FLT.

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TRAINING FLT UNDER IFR FOR APPLICANT IN LATE STAGE OF PREPARATION FOR FLT TEST FOR INST RATING ON PVT PLT CERTIFICATE. HAD FILED SEPARATE FLT PLANS FOR SEGMENT FROM GAI TO MTN; AND FOR RETURN GAI. BALTIMORE APCH CLRED US FOR MTN LOC APCH TO RWY 15; MAINTAINING 2500 FT UNTIL INTERCEPTING APCH COURSE. SUBSEQUENTLY CLRED TO CONTACT TWR. UPON CONTACTING TWR THEY ADVISED OF TFC S OF 'THE SHOPPING CTR' AND THAT WE WERE #2. WE CONTINUED THE ILS APCH. (OUR ORIGINAL CLRNC LIMIT WAS THE MTN ARPT AND THIS HAD NOT BEEN REVISED.) APCHING MINIMUMS I REALIZED WE HAD NOT RECEIVED CLRNC TO LAND; AND I REQUESTED CLRNC 'FOR THE OPTION.' THIS WAS GRANTED (AND ACKNOWLEDGED). UPON REACHING THE APCH END OF THE RWY I INSTRUCTED THE STUDENT TO DO A MISSED APCH. HE INITIATED THIS PROMPTLY; ADVISED ATC AND TURNED R; FOLLOWING THE PUBLISHED PROC. THE TWR WAS OVERHEARD TO TELL ANOTHER ACFT ABOUT AN ACFT (I BELIEVE THIS ACFT WAS US) THAT HAD MADE A R TURN OUT 'ON HIS OWN.' THERE WAS A HINT OF ANNOYANCE IN THE TWR CTLR'S VOICE. THEN HE ASKED OUR INTENTIONS. I REQUESTED THAT WE PICK UP OUR CLRNC BACK TO GAI. WE WERE CLRED TO A HEADING AND TOLD TO CONTACT DEP CTL. ON DEP FREQ WE RPTED 1800 FT CLBING ASSIGNED ALT. THE SAME CTLR WHO HAD CLRED US FOR THE APCH CLRED US TO A NEW HEADING AND 3000 FT. THEN SHE ADMONISHED US THAT WE SHOULD HAVE TOLD THEM OUR INTENTIONS. I RESPONDED THAT WE REGRETTED ANY DIFFICULTY CAUSED; THAT WE'D THOUGHT WE'D TOLD THE TWR (THE REQUEST FOR THE OPTION); AND THAT IN ANY CASE WE WOULD BE MORE EXPLICIT AND EARLIER IN PROVIDING SUCH INFO IN THE FUTURE. THE CTLR SPIT OUT THAT THE TWR SAID WE HAD NOT INFORMED THEM; AND THAT SHE HAD NO INDICATION OF OUR INTENTIONS. SHE ASKED US HOW WE INTENDED TO END THE APCH AT GAI AND I REPLIED 'FULL STOP.' HER VOICE SEEMED TO HAVE A SARCASTIC TONE. SHORTLY THEREAFTER ANOTHER CTLR TOOK OVER THE FREQ. A FEW MINS LATER I HEARD HIM ASK AN ACFT WHAT THEIR INTENTIONS WERE AT GAI. HEARING NO RESPONSE; I ASKED THE CTLR IF THAT WAS FOR OUR N-NUMBER. THE CTLR SAID NOTHING. SEVERAL MINS LATER HE ASKED US SPECIFICALLY WHAT WE INTENDED TO DO AT GAI; AND I INFORMED HIM 'FULL STOP' LNDG. WE WERE HANDED OFF TO ANOTHER FREQ. APCHING THE FINAL APCH COURSE WE WERE GIVEN A 240 DEG HDG (ALMOST 90 DEGS TO THE 155 DEG FINAL); BUT NOT GIVEN AN APCH CLRNC. AS THE VECTOR TOOK US THROUGH THE APCH COURSE I ASKED IF THAT WAS INTENDED. THE CTLR APOLOGIZED AND GAVE US A 120 DEG HDG; FOLLOWED SHORTLY BY A CLRNC FOR THE APCH. THE CTLR ADVISED WE WERE 3 MI FROM FILIX AND OFFERED ANOTHER INTERCEPT. I THANKED HIM; DECLINED AND CANCELED IFR. UPON REFLECTION; I NEED TO BE MORE PROACTIVE IN ASSURING ATC KNOWS OUR INTENTIONS. WHILE WE WERE IN COMPLIANCE WITH OUR IFR CLRNC; I SHOULD HAVE MADE IT CLR TO THE TWR THAT WE WERE IFR AND HAD NO IDEA WHERE THE 'SHOPPING CTR' WAS LOCATED AND WE SHOULD HAVE INQUIRED EARLIER ABOUT A LNDG/OPTION CLRNC.