The purpose of strafing is to attack ground targets and avoid ground fire. The key to strafing is to stay as low as possible, giving the enemy very little to shoot at.
Stay under a hundred feet if you can, and start firing when your target comes into rage. You may need to po up slightly befire shooting. Stay low until you are clear of ground fire and fly as fast as your plane wil go.

Drawbacks:
Strafing is very dangerous due to the possibility of getting hit by ground fire or crashing.