ORIGINAL: WEDJ
One of the main reasons Jim Martin used Barn Door ailerons is he thought they looked cool, especially during vertical rolls. Don't ask me how I know this, it is just one of those little factoids tucked inside the old brain. Evidently at the time, it impressed me.
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I agree, they do look cool. But I wonder how he prevented them from oscillating? Bellcranks would have been an invitation for disaster. Counterbalancing the BD ailerons would have prevented mechanical oscillation, but I don't recall seeing external counterbalancing weights.
By the way, according to an aeronautical engineer (Mr. Ron Van Putte), fluttering is what an entire wing does when in oscillation, not what the control surfaces do.
Ed Cregger