DHC8 FLC COMPLAINT THAT APCH CTLR CHANGED THEIR RWY ASSIGNMENT WHILE ON VECTOR TO FINAL WITHOUT SUFFICIENT TIME TO RETUNE THE RWY ILS.

Narrative

WHILE BEING VECTORED FOR THE APCH AT MCO; WE WERE TOLD TO EXPECT RWY 17 AND THAT RWY 18R WAS ON REQUEST. WE WERE THEN TOLD TO FLY 270 DEGS; MAINTAIN 3000 FT. A TA WAS GIVEN FOR A JET AT 11 O'CLOCK POS AT 5000 FT. WE WERE THEN ASKED IF WE COULD MAINTAIN 180 KTS UNTIL THE OM FOR RWY 17. WE SAID THAT WAS AFFIRMATIVE. WE WERE THEN GIVEN A 250 DEG HDG; MAINTAIN 3000 FT AND 180 KTS; CLRED FOR THE APCH RWY 18R. BOTH MYSELF AND THE CAPT HEARD RWY 18R AND THOUGHT WE HAD BEEN CLRED FOR RWY 18R; WHICH WAS ON REQUEST. THE APCH CTLR THEN GAVE US A 210 DEG HDG AND CLRED US FOR THE ILS RWY 17. WE RAPIDLY CHANGED FREQS AND SHOT THE RWY 17 ILS WITHOUT INCIDENT. HOWEVER; THE CAPT TOLD THE CTLR THAT HE DIDN'T APPRECIATE BEING CHANGED OVER AT THE LAST MIN; AS WE HAD NO TIME TO SET-UP. THE CTLR SAID HE THOUGHT HE HAD CLRED US FOR RWY 18R. WE SWITCHED TO TWR SHORTLY AFTER ON FINAL AS THE CTLR APPEARED TO HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT US. AT THE GATE; WE WERE TOLD TO CALL THE CTL SUPVR; WHO ASKED THE CAPT WHAT THE PROB WAS. THE SUPVR SAID HE REVIEWED THE TAPES AND SAID THE CTLR AT NO TIME CLRED US FOR RWY 18R. WE DID NOT AGREE WITH THIS AS WE BOTH HEARD A CLRNC FOR RWY 18R; THEN RWY 17. THIS PROB/CONFUSION WAS CREATED BY BAD COM BTWN ATC AND OUR CREW. ATC WAS PROBABLY DISTRACTED BY THE PARALLEL APCHS ON RWY 18R AND ACCIDENTALLY CLRED US INITIALLY FOR RWY 18R; WHEN THEY MEANT RWY 17. PERHAPS HAVING MORE THAN ONE APCH CTLR FOR EACH RWY WOULD ALLEVIATE THIS PROB.