Another note - strafe can be used for all movement. There is no disadvantage to using forward strafe instead of throttle, you will see the same acceleration and max m/s.
The one thing I've noticed is that strafe speeds don't stick. It still depends on throttle setting.
ex 1. I'm cruising about, and I have throttle set to 100. I come across some pirates, and decide to slow down, but I use backwards strafe to reduce speed. Once I let go of the stick, it'll accelerate back to full speed, as throttle was at 100 before I strafed.
ex 2. I'm sitting at 0m/s, enjoying the scenery, when pirates spawn and I quickly forward strafe to full speed to get out of there. Once I release the stick, my ship will slow back down to 0m/s as that's where the throttle was.
Cliffs: Throttle setting determines base speed. Strafing only controls speed at the point in which you engage it...
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is my experience.
This is also why I use strafe on the left stick, and have bound throttle to the slider on the same left stick. When I'm in combat or close quarters flight, strafe is far more useful and I need the precision that comes with the stick. However, when I'm cruising about ( ie cruising Yela's belt en route to Grim), I just use the slider for throttle because once I set the throttle slider in position, it sticks and I can leave it alone. I also find the slider far more useful for setting precise speeds, or if I need to match speed with someone else. The slider's position makes it easy for me to default to having my hand on the stick for strafe, but I can quickly reach down with my thumb and move the slider. And if I'm just taking a relaxing cruise, I can let go of the strafing stick altogether, simply set the throttle to desired speed, and let my hand relax.
In fact, I've considered modding the slider to be wider so that I could rest my palm on it, but I haven't gotten around do it.