Bend-based Epic Aircraft marked a milestone Saturday with a successful, 20-minute flight of its E1000 prototype turboprop aircraft, the company stated Wednesday in a news release.

The flight marks progress toward Epic’s goal of certifying the aircraft according to Federal Aviation Administration standards for production aircraft. An Epic spokesman in April said the company expected to test fly the prototype by year’s end and deliver the first orders in 2016.

The prototype, dubbed FT1, departed the Bend Airport around 4 p.m. Saturday with David Robinson, Epic chief pilot, at the controls. The aircraft handled “just as expected,” the company stated in its release.

Epic will continue testing the single-engine aircraft over coming months; a second aircraft, FT2, is scheduled for flight tests in spring, according to Epic.

The E1000 features a carbon-fiber composite frame, 1,200-horsepower Pratt & Whitney turbine engine and a $2.95 million price tag, fully equipped, according to the company.

To watch an 11-second video of the flight, visit http://bit.ly/1MxgTXh