The American Homebuilts John Doe is a 1990s American STOL homebuilt aircraft designed by Steve Nusbaum. Marketed by American Homebuilts of Hebron, Illinois, the aircraft was supplied as a kit intended for amateur construction. The design first took flight in 1994, introducing a specialized platform focused on low-speed performance and short-field capabilities.
Designed as a single-engine landplane, the John Doe features a strut-braced high-wing configuration with a tractor propeller. The aircraft is notable for its tandem seating arrangement within an enclosed cabin, a layout less common among 1990s STOL kitplanes, which frequently utilized side-by-side seating. The landing gear is a fixed conventional tailwheel configuration. To achieve its STOL objectives, the wing incorporates a NACA 4415 airfoil with a total wing area of 130.6 square feet and an aspect ratio of 7.2:1. The wing system is further enhanced by a multi-element high-lift design featuring slat extension, aileron droop, and large flap deflections, which allow the aircraft to reach a remarkably low stall speed of 30 mph (48 km/h) when flaps are deployed.
Power is provided by a single Lycoming O-235 four-cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke horizontally-opposed piston engine, producing 108 hp (81 kW). This engine drives a fixed-pitch, two-bladed metal propeller. In terms of performance, the John Doe is capable of a maximum speed of 140 mph and a cruise speed of 117 mph. It possesses a rate of climb of 1,100 ft/min and a service ceiling of 13,000 ft. The aircraft's gross weight is typically cited as 1,400 lb, though some references mention a 1,500 lb limit. With a fuel capacity of 26 U.S. gallons, it has an operational range of 370 miles.
As a civilian amateur-built aircraft, the John Doe has no documented military or wartime service. Its use is limited to private general aviation and recreational sport flying. While the ICAO type designator JDOE is recognized for flight planning, specific production totals and the current operational status of the manufacturer, American Homebuilts, remain unpublished.