TWR LCL CTLR RESOLVES POTENTIAL AIRBORNE CONFLICT BY INSTRUCTING THE PLT TO CIRCLE AND EXTEND DOWNWIND BEHIND ANOTHER ACFT. THE RPTR WAS NOT COMING FROM THE POS THE CTLR BELIEVED HIM TO BE.

Narrative

AS I APCHED THE TOMPKINS COUNTY ARPT; ITHACA; NY (ITH) ON AN IFR FLT PLAN; IN GOOD VMC; I WAS GIVEN A HDOF FROM ELMIRA APCH CTL TO ITH TWR. I CHKED IN WITH THE TWR AND RPTED MY LOCATION AS 10 MI NNE OF THE FIELD AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO RPT A R BASE FOR LNDG RWY 32. ANOTHER C172 WAS ALSO APCHING THE FIELD; BUT FROM THE NW. I OVERHEARD A TRANSMISSION FROM THIS ACFT STATING HIS LOCATION AS 5 MI NW (AT THIS TIME; I WAS 7 MI NNE OF THE ARPT). A FEW MOMENTS LATER; ITH TWR QUERIED MY POS; WHICH I RPTED AS BEING 5 MI N OF THE FIELD. APPROX 1 MIN LATER; I CALLED MY R BASE ENTRY FOR RWY 32 (AS INSTRUCTED). APPROX 10 SECONDS LATER; I WAS INFORMED OF ANOTHER CESSNA ON R BASE AND; AFTER A PAUSE OF ABOUT 3 SECONDS; TOLD TO EXECUTE A L 360 DEG TURN. 90 DEGS INTO THIS TURN; I WAS TOLD TO EXTEND OUTBOUND FOR A STRAIGHT-IN APCH RWY 32. I COMPLIED AND A NORMAL LNDG WAS MADE. AFTER I LANDED; GND CTL GAVE ME A FEW WORDS REGARDING THE IMPORTANCE OF POS RPTS AND CHIDED ME FOR RPTING MY POS AS NE WHEN I WAS NW AND S OF THE FIELD. I REQUESTED A PHONE NUMBER TO DISCUSS THE MATTER FURTHER; AND WAS TOLD TO USE THE FBO'S INTERCOM. I TALKED THE MATTER OVER WITH ONE OF THE PERSONNEL IN THE TWR WHO WAS UNABLE TO SHED ANY LIGHT ON THE SIT. HE KEPT INSISTING THAT I WAS NW AND THEN S OF THE FIELD. I KNOW THAT I WAS AT NO TIME W IN THE SLIGHTEST DEG OF THE FIELD BECAUSE MY IFR ROUTING PUT ME ON A DIRECT TRACT FROM THE MASSENA VOR (MSS) TO THE ITH VOR; WHICH RESULTS IN A HDG OF APPROX 210 DES; A HDG THAT I FLEW WITH MINOR ADJUSTMENTS RIGHT INTO THE R BASE ENTRY FROM RWY 32. WHAT I TOOK AWAY FROM MY CONVERSATION WITH THE CTLR IN THE ITH TWR WAS A DEEP SENSE THAT THE CTLR IN QUESTION HAD LOST SITUATIONAL AWARENESS; DUE PRIMARILY TO THE LACK OF ANY FORM OF RADAR SURVEILLANCE (ALL THEY HAVE IS BINOCULARS AND A WINDOW). THESE CTLRS NEED A RADAR DISPLAY; EVEN IF IT IS JUST A REPEATER OFF OF ANOTHER RADAR SITE. ITH IS AN ARPT WITH FAIRLY HIGH TFC VOLUME WHERE COMMERCIAL ACR ACFT REGULARLY MIX WITH LIGHT GA PLANES. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL TRY TO GIVE MORE ACCURATE POS RPTS. I SHOULD HAVE CONSISTENTLY RPTED MY POS AS BEING NNE AND NOT MADE THE SIMPLE N XMISSION (ALTHOUGH; I WAS MOSTLY N OF THE FIELD).