Less drag with flight assist off?

[Nambo]

Whilst I am sure somebody must have discovered this, for those that haven't, I just found out that if you hold Flight assist off whilst you boost your engines, the increase in speed deteriorates far less than with flight assist on, so a good tip if you want to fly away fast.

Which makes me wonder what the logic of this is?
Now in reality in space, there is no drag so as long as your engines are producing even a tiny amount of thrust, your speed will keep increasing to infinity, and then if you turn your engines off or run out of fuel, you will maintain that speed for ever and ever.

Now I realise this would make the game rather hard to play, (didn't Frontier Elite have true flight physics?),
What though is the logic behind your boosted speed deteriorating so much quicker with flight assist on when there is no drag in space?

 

[FaolGlas]

It's because normally your thrusters work to slow you down to "top speed" - with FA off, they don't do anything at all, so your boost stays with you, used to be indefinitely not sure if it still is. Basically the thrusters are always working to maintain your direction and speed with FA on, and when turned off, the thrusters do nothing unless you tell them to, is my understanding.

 

[lakofsth]

It's because normally your thrusters work to slow you down to "top speed" - with FA off, they don't do anything at all, so your boost stays with you, used to be indefinitely not sure if it still is. Basically the thrusters are always working to maintain your direction and speed with FA on, and when turned off, the thrusters do nothing unless you tell them to, is my understanding.

This behaviour was 'corrected' in beta 2... The vacuum in this game has strange properties for reasons of gameplay.