If you are flying over somewhere with tons of fields that all look alike (like S UK) and you are not particularly high, you can set yourself up for a long base and at the right altitude, turn final.
The East Anglia technique.
As taught by instructors in East Anglia ... but they, and examiners, get all precious if you fly PFLs that way, they seem to insist on being told which field you're going for long before you get to 500'.