Peter Duniho wrote:
AFAIK, there is no official definition of "overhead break" or "overhead
approach", and given that the approaches I have witnessed do involve flight

Well... here it is. Reference AIM 5-4-26 (Chapter 5 Air Traffic
Procedures/Section 4 Arrival Procedures). It's a little hidden
underneath a lot of IFR stuff:

http://www.faa.gov/ATPUBS/AIM/Chap5/...tml#Va821cROBE

In keeping with the international nature of these newsgroups, yes, this
applies to operations in the U.S., but the generic maneuver is universal.

Of course, when making variations on the maneuver (like low/fast
followed by a popup), courtesy and good airmanship towards other
aircraft, already established in a conventional traffic pattern, would
be considered. Common sense, I know.