B737-300. ATCT LCL CTLR DID NOT KNOW THE CREW WAS DOING A 360 DEG TURN BECAUSE THEY WERE HIGH. THEY HAD PREVIOUSLY COORDINATED THE TURN WITH THE APCH CTLR.

Narrative

ON DSCNT TO LNK WAS CLRED FOR VISUAL APCH AND TOLD TO CONTACT TWR. WE WERE AT APPROX 7000 FT 7 NM FROM RWY HEADING ABOUT 090 DEGS. WE WERE HIGH DUE TO LATE DSCNT CLRNC FROM MSP ATC AND STRONG TAILWINDS. AFTER BEING CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH I ADVISED APCH CTL WE NEED TO TURN TO EXTEND R DOWNWIND. I THEN SWITCHED TO TWR FREQ. I DON'T REMEMBER IF I HAD TOLD ATC WE WERE TOO HIGH FOR THE STRAIGHT IN APCH TO RWY 14. WHEN I SWITCHED TO TWR WE HAD TURNED TO A 320 DEG HDG BUT HAD SLID TO A L DOWNWIND DUE TO STRONG XWINDS; PUTTING THE RWY BEHIND US. TWR ASKED WHAT WE WERE DOING. I ADVISED THEM THAT WE NEED A L 180 DEG TURN TO INTERCEPT FINAL COURSE. AT THIS POINT WE WERE APPROX 8 MI FROM ARPT. DSNDING TO 3000 FT; WE WERE THEN CLRED TO LAND RWY 14. TWR ASKED ME TO CALL THEM VIA THE PHONE. I TALKED TO THE CTLR AND THEY WERE UNSURE WHAT WE WERE DOING. THERE WAS A COM BREAKDOWN BTWN ME; APCH; AND TWR. THERE WAS NO LOSS OF SEPARATION OR SEQUENCING WITH THE MANEUVER (TWR TOLD ME). BUT THERE COULD HAVE BEEN DUE TO THE LACK OF COM.