M20 PLT LNDG APA EXPERIENCED CONFUSION REGARDING PATTERN ENTRY AND ATC INSTRUCTIONS.

Narrative

APCHING APA FROM SW STARTING AT 17500 FT DSNDING; CLRED BY DEN APCH INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE FOR A VISUAL TO RWY 17 AT APA. RPTED ARPT IN SIGHT AT 8 MI. INSTRUCTED TO SWITCH TO TWR FREQ; DID SO; AND RPTED 8 MI SW WITH ATIS. TWR CTLR ADVISED TO RPT MIDFIELD R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 17R; REMAIN W OF INTERSTATE 25. ENTERED R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 17R DIRECTLY OVER PARK MEADOWS SHOPPING CENTER; AND CALLED IN AS 'MIDFIELD R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 17R.' CTLR REPLIED 'YOU ARE #2 FOR RWY 17R; TFC OVER THE NUMBERS.' I CONTINUED MY DOWNWIND TO A POINT 45 DEGS PAST THE APCH END OF RWY 17R; AND TURNED BASE. THE CTLR SAID 'MOONEY XXX; WHERE ARE YOU GOING? YOUR TFC IS S SHORE OF RESERVOIR!' (CHERRY CREEK RESERVOIR IS ABOUT 5 MI N OF THE ARPT!) I REPLIED THAT I'D RETURN TO DOWNWIND AND EXTEND TO FOLLOW THE TFC; A C172. WE EXTENDED OUR DOWNWIND AND EVENTUALLY FOUND THIS TFC ONLY JUST THEN AT THE S SHORE OF THE RESERVOIR AND TURNED BASE TO FOLLOW HIM IN. WE FLEW OUR XWIND AT THE N SHORE; AT LEAST 7 MI FROM THE ARPT; AND STRUGGLED TO KEEP FROM OVERRUNNING THE C172 DURING HIS SLOW APCH. DURING THIS SAME TIME; A HVY JET APCHING RWY 17L WAS ASKED TO 'SLOW FOR SPACING BEHIND A CESSNA SINGLE (HE REPLIED THAT HE WAS UNABLE); SO SHE SWITCHED HIM TO RWY 17R (HE REPLIED THAT HE WAS UNABLE; IT WAS FAR TOO SHORT!); THEN BACK TO RWY 17L AND HAD THE CESSNA GO AROUND. THIS CTLR SEQUENCED OUR MOONEY WITH A 100 KT APCH SPD IN THE PATTERN WITH C150 AND C172'S WITH NO APPARENT COMPREHENSION OF THE DIFFERENCE IN SPDS; AND MIXED HVY JETS WITH SIMILAR TRAINERS ON THE OTHER RWY AS WELL. IF I DISOBEYED HER INSTRUCTION (MY WIFE; A 30 YR EXPERIENCED COPLT AGREES SHE HEARD THE SAME INSTRUCTION) IT WAS INADVERTENT. IF THIS CTLR IS A TRAINEE; SHE NEEDS MORE SUPERVISION.