Excellent comments guys. Let me address my thoughts on them.
Roger, I'm a big fan of using less flap rotation that elevator. Typically, I set my planes up initially with about 25 degrees of flaps and about 33 degrees of elevator. I only go to 1/1 when the plane is heavy, and needs the extra lift during a hard corner.
PertiMe is correct that Flaps can cause more drag than lift. Seldom, even with very portly planes, does one see more than 15-20 degrees of flap rotation. High flap rotation, IMO, comes from trying to fly with too narrow a flap chord for the lift needed in the maneuver.
What I am now working on, based on suggestions by Norm Whittle, who studies these things, is increasing the total area of the wings. This also includes the area of the flaps. I have extended the wing tips and increased the chord of the flaps. This will give me about 50-70 sq. inches of additional wing area. ( I don't have the charts handy, or I could give you exact numbers.)
The wider chord will allow more lift to be created with out having to deflect the control surface as much as with the narrower flaps. It should lessen the drag that's created at extreme throws. It should also increase the net total lift produced in the maneuver at the same time.
Chris, Using the cabane struts as tip plates has merit, but they may not work as well in that function, due to being asymmetrical in application, being mounted between the upper and lower wings, with nothing on the other side of each wing. I have mounted them about as far out as seems wise. At the point where they are located, they are supported by the wing structure, and form an important part of maintaining the structure, and stregnth of the wings. If I moved them further out, I still would not be able to go much further out than they are, without messing up the elliptical properties of the wing itself.
It's the high AR, and the elliptical properties of the wings that should make more differences in lift generation, IMO, than much else I could do with tip plates. Don't get me wrong a rectangular wing with tip plates can work pretty good, but, An elliptical platform really doesn't need tip plates, again, IMO.
Still, good suggestions that show innovation, and thought.