ACR PLT MAKING VISUAL APCH INTO TTN ARPT DOES NOT UNDERSTAND WHY PHL APCH KEEPS FLTS UP AT 3000 FT UNTIL THE ARPT THEN HASTILY ISSUES CLRNC AND CHANGE TO A VERY BUSY TWR.

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PHL APCH COORD WITH TTN ARPT TWR IS VERY ARCHAIC; SOMETIMES HAZARDOUS. A COUPLE OF TIMES LATE HDOFS HAVE AGITATED TWR CTLRS DEALING WITH BUSY LCL TFC. MORE OFTEN; VECTORING FOR 'SLAM DUNK' VISUALS AND EXTREMELY LATE TURNS FOR IFR APCHS HAVE MADE FLT UNEASY. NOV/XA/99 WAS ONE SUCH INSTANCE WITH FLT ACR X FROM BUF. THE PHL APCH CTLR BECAME BUSY AND PREOCCUPIED WITH A VFR ACFT WHO WANTED TO PICK UP AN IFR CLRNC. STILL AT 3000 FT; I SAW A 'SLAM DUNK' SCENARIO DEVELOPING. REALIZING HOW BUSY HE WAS; WE REMINDED HIM WE HAD ARPT IN SIGHT; FIGURING HE WOULD CLR US FOR A VISUAL. HE SAID 'ENTER; R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 34; #2 FOLLOWING A KING AIR.' WE WERE NOW WELL INSIDE ZONE AND A 'SLAM DUNK' WAS IMMINENT. MY FEELING WAS HE MEANT FOR US TO BE IN THE PATTERN FOR A VISUAL BUT WAS TOO BUSY TO CLARIFY IT. I ASKED MY COPLT TO ASK HIM IF WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL. I COULDN'T HEAR CLRLY WHAT THE COPLT ASKED. I HEARD THE WORD 'VISUAL' SPOKEN AND THE WORD 'ROGER' FROM THE CTLR. I INTERPED THIS AN CONFIRMATION OF A VISUAL CLRNC. AFTER DSNDING TO 2300 FT FROM 3000 FT; HE TOLD US TO GO BACK TO 3000 FT. HE DID NOT SAY 'YOU WERE NOT CLRED FOR VISUAL; GO BACK TO 3000 FT.' HE SIMPLY SAID 'GO BACK TO 3000 FT.' BUT I AM NOTE SURE WHAT HE REALLY WANTED US TO DO. WHY DOES PHL APCH HOLD US AT 3000 FT WHEN IT IS CLR AND WE CALL VISUAL? IF THEY ARE BUSY WITH OTHER TFC; WHY NOT AT LEAST CLR US FOR THE VISUAL APCH SOONER TO AVOID 'SLAM DUNKS?'