CAPT OF ACR-WDB OBJECTED TO AND REFUSED A VISUAL APCH SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH AN ACR-HVT. ATC VECTORED FLT FOR A VISUAL APCH (NOT SIDE-BY-SIDE).

Narrative

ON APCH INTO SFO; APCH CTL VECTORED US IN AND ASSIGNED AIRSPDS IN SUCH A MANNER THAT AS WE WERE APCHING THE BRIDGE WE WERE CONVERGING WITH HVT Z MAKING A LEFT TURN IN FOR RWY 28L. (WE WERE GOING TO RWY 28R.) OUR CONVERGENCE WAS SUCH THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE MANEUVERING IN TURNS; WING TIP TO WING TIP. I DID NOT WANT TO TRUST THE SAFETY OF MY FLT TO THE OTHER PLT'S ABILITY TO NOT OVERSHOOT HIS TURN ON; SO I VOICED MY CONCERN TO THE CTLR AND DECLINED THE APCH. HE THEN STOPPED MY DSCNT AT 4000' AND VECTORED ME AWAY FROM THE OTHER ACFT. AS WE CAME UP OVER THE BRIDGE (AT 4000') HE CLRED ME FOR A VISUAL APCH. THE BRIDGE IS NORMALLY CROSSED AT 1900'. I TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE TOO HIGH TO MAKE A LNDG FROM THAT POINT; SO WE WOUND UP BEING VECTORED OVER THE ARPT AND BACK FOR A LEFT TURN IN TO RWY 28L. OVER THE YRS I HAVE MADE NUMEROUS PARALLEL APCHS INTO SFO; BUT THE OTHER ACFT HAS ALWAYS BEEN SLIGHTLY AHEAD OF; OR BEHIND ME; AND THE REAR ACFT HAS ALWAYS BEEN INSTRUCTED NOT TO OVERTAKE THE LEAD ACFT. THERE WAS NO DISCUSSION OVER THE RADIO; BUT AFTER LNDG I CALLED ON THE LANDLINE AND SPOKE TO THE SUPVR. HE STATED THAT HE SAW NOTHING WRONG WITH OUR BEING TURNED ON SIDE BY SIDE INSTEAD OF STAGGERED SLIGHTLY. IN FACT; HE THOUGHT I WAS 'WRONG TO HAVE DECLINED THE APCH.' HE SAID THAT WE HAD 'A PHILOSOPHICAL DIFFERENCE OF OPINION ON WHAT CONSTITUTES A SAFE APCH.'