DULUTH, Minn. (AP) - Cirrus Design Corporation's plans for a new jet have taken a big step forward with a successful test flight of a prototype.

The fork-tailed, single-engine airplane lifted off from Duluth International Airport on Thursday morning and flew for 48 minutes before coming in for a smooth landing.

Michael Van Staagen, vice president of Cirrus' advanced development group, calls the jet's first flight a "a once-in-a-lifetime event."

The Duluth-based company with a plant in Grand Forks, North Dakota is known for its high-performance propeller planes that come equipped with a signature full-frame parachutes.

Company co-founder and CEO Alan Klapmeier says he's wanted to build a jet for years, but it's only now that the company has grown to the point where it's possible.

He says the jet is still several years away from production, but hopes the prototype will be able to fly in an air show at the end of the month.