The first flight of the Citation XLS+, completed last week at Rockwell Collins’ Cedar Rapids, Iowa facility, “was a great success,” according to Cessna Citation XLS+ program manager Kevin Steinert. The flight progressed as planned, he said, and the aircraft performed as expected with the new modifications. A Cessna spokeswoman told AIN that in addition to new Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545C FADEC-equipped engines (the XLS has PW545B engines, each rated at 128 pounds less thrust than the C) and a new Collins Pro Line 21 avionics system, the airplane also has a slight change to the nose section. “It’s going to be the same performance numbers even though the engines and nose section have changed,” she said. After completing the flight, the aircraft returned to the Cessna design and manufacturing facilities in Wichita, where it will undergo further evaluation and testing. Type certification is expected in the first quarter of next year, with deliveries to follow in the middle of the year. The XLS+ is priced at $11.59 million.