On Parade looks like a relaxed flight evaluation for about five minutes, then GTA Online turns it into a full air-combat exam. The Project Overthrow mission sends one to four players from Fort Zancudo through Raton Canyon and Sandy Shores in the F-160 Raiju, so you'll need stealth, aerobatic control, target selection, and patience in the same run. If you're still saving for the Avenger, resources such as buy GTA 5 Money can shorten the grind, but cash won't replace good aircraft control here.
What You're Really Being Tested On
On Parade is the third Project Overthrow assignment, started from the Operations Terminal inside an owned Avenger. Its clever trick is that every phase asks for a different flying habit: restraint in the canyon, clean inputs during the stunt test, efficient DPS against virtual targets, and threat management during the finale. A player can be excellent at dogfighting and still fail because the early stealth route or landing was treated as an afterthought.
Activate stealth before entering the protected canyon route.
Climb before starting loops, rolls, or inverted flight.
Use several different maneuvers instead of farming one easy movement.
Attack valuable targets during stable passes rather than frantic turns.
Keep enough health for the return flight to Fort Zancudo.
The Numbers That Matter
The Sandy Shores exercises become much easier once you stop treating every target as equal. The maneuver section needs 15 points, while the target run lasts three minutes. Gold targets are tempting, but a clean red target may be better than a gold target that forces a risky turn and wastes half your attack window.
Raiju Control Without Panic
Start the canyon section by turning stealth on early, then hold a calm route instead of making dramatic corrections. At Sandy Shores, altitude is your safety reserve: begin a loop high enough to recover, roll once with a clear input, and hold knife or inverted flight briefly before leveling out. From what I've seen, most lost maneuver points come from exiting the position too quickly, not from failing to reach it.
Okay, Let's Talk About the Air Battle
The combat phase arrives in waves, with attack helicopters, fighter jets, and hostile Avengers entering the fight. Don't fixate on the biggest aircraft immediately. Fast, smaller threats can sit behind you and ruin every attack pass, so create distance, remove the mobile pressure, and return for the larger target when the sky is less crowded. The Raiju's vertical-flight mode helps with precise positioning, but hovering in a busy fight makes you an easy target.
The Mistake Most Guides Skip
Many players treat the return to Fort Zancudo as a victory lap. It isn't. A damaged Raiju still has to survive the trip and land safely, so stop chasing enemies once the combat objective is complete. Spend your GTA Online cash on aircraft access and preparation rather than assuming cheap GTA 5 Money will fix a careless landing, then slow down early, line up the airfield, and leave yourself room to correct.
Solo or Crew?
Solo play gives you complete control over the pacing and makes every mistake your own, while a small crew can divide enemy attention during the last waves. More players don't automatically make On Parade easier; messy flight paths can produce overlapping attacks and poor target focus. At least in my experience, a first clear feels best with one reliable partner, while experienced Raiju pilots may prefer solo runs for the purest test of control.
What You're Really Being Tested On
On Parade is the third Project Overthrow assignment, started from the Operations Terminal inside an owned Avenger. Its clever trick is that every phase asks for a different flying habit: restraint in the canyon, clean inputs during the stunt test, efficient DPS against virtual targets, and threat management during the finale. A player can be excellent at dogfighting and still fail because the early stealth route or landing was treated as an afterthought.
Activate stealth before entering the protected canyon route.
Climb before starting loops, rolls, or inverted flight.
Use several different maneuvers instead of farming one easy movement.
Attack valuable targets during stable passes rather than frantic turns.
Keep enough health for the return flight to Fort Zancudo.
The Numbers That Matter
The Sandy Shores exercises become much easier once you stop treating every target as equal. The maneuver section needs 15 points, while the target run lasts three minutes. Gold targets are tempting, but a clean red target may be better than a gold target that forces a risky turn and wastes half your attack window.
| Flight maneuvers | 15 points | Use varied, clearly held actions |
| Gold target | 10 points | Take it with a steady firing line |
| Red target | 5 points | Good fallback when nearby |
| Blue or white target | 3 or 1 point | Use only when the route is clean |
Start the canyon section by turning stealth on early, then hold a calm route instead of making dramatic corrections. At Sandy Shores, altitude is your safety reserve: begin a loop high enough to recover, roll once with a clear input, and hold knife or inverted flight briefly before leveling out. From what I've seen, most lost maneuver points come from exiting the position too quickly, not from failing to reach it.
Okay, Let's Talk About the Air Battle
The combat phase arrives in waves, with attack helicopters, fighter jets, and hostile Avengers entering the fight. Don't fixate on the biggest aircraft immediately. Fast, smaller threats can sit behind you and ruin every attack pass, so create distance, remove the mobile pressure, and return for the larger target when the sky is less crowded. The Raiju's vertical-flight mode helps with precise positioning, but hovering in a busy fight makes you an easy target.
The Mistake Most Guides Skip
Many players treat the return to Fort Zancudo as a victory lap. It isn't. A damaged Raiju still has to survive the trip and land safely, so stop chasing enemies once the combat objective is complete. Spend your GTA Online cash on aircraft access and preparation rather than assuming cheap GTA 5 Money will fix a careless landing, then slow down early, line up the airfield, and leave yourself room to correct.
Solo or Crew?
Solo play gives you complete control over the pacing and makes every mistake your own, while a small crew can divide enemy attention during the last waves. More players don't automatically make On Parade easier; messy flight paths can produce overlapping attacks and poor target focus. At least in my experience, a first clear feels best with one reliable partner, while experienced Raiju pilots may prefer solo runs for the purest test of control.
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