[QUOTE=vancouv;2940504]I was taught the following:
3. Once on the deadside begin descent and a 180 degree turn to end up on the crosswind leg crossing the upwind end of the runway at circuit height
QUOTE]
...and I was given a right old telling-off during a test once for doing just that. The examiner said that as there were high-performance aircraft operating at the airfield in question that they can easily achieve circuit height by the upwind end of the fairly lengthy runway and in his opinion the CORRECT place to crosss ANY runway before joining the downwind leg is at the mid-point. Then the correct call is 'late downwind'. He still signed me off though. I've mulled over this one over the years.
There was sadly a fatal accident at North Weald a few years ago involving traffic joining the circuit so it isn't just of academic interest.
If I'm joining from the deadside, I do so AT circuit height and crossing at the runway midpoint, rather than descending to achieve circuit height by the time I'm downwind. The rationale here is that you can then see all circuit traffic against the sky, above the horizon, not lost in the ground clutter below you.
TheOddOne