mach jump you can do a circle at an uncontrolled field, good practice would say to advise local traffic on the radio that you are circling on downwind or making S turns on final.
love the way you guys talk! Dead Side of the traffic pattern. We don't call it that.
On a busy day at a local ATC field, there can be a huge amount of traffic in the pattern and waiting to depart the pattern. ATC will often ask downwind traffic to extend downwind to allow for departures. They have even asked to fly through final on base leg and rejoin downwind on the opposite side.
AS to departing the pattern, departing the upwind leg (takeoff leg) on a 45degree turn is normal. Departing the pattern in an overhead 270 is normal. Departing on the downwind is normal. And just departing ON COURSE is normal to. All with advisory on radio/ctaf or via ATC instruction.
WE all keep our landing lights on in the pattern to help increase our visibility. Wondering of the OP did traffic on final have his landing light on?DID YOU?
We will even have aircraft flash their landing light (daytime too) to help sort out who is who.
Wombat, do you ever practice descending spirals around a point, keeping a constant distance from the point? Do you ever circle an airport at altitude well above pattern altitude to observe wind sock at an airport with no communications?
All are important tools of the trade. The spiral for emergency landings, or for use when only the airport is clear of clouds.