The First Georgia Air Squadron also known as The Winged Knights
was one of the first Dixie air units formed and remains the Confederacys most
prestigious unit. Like many Dixie air units, the squadron comprises eighteen
pilots with aircraft ranging from Dixie-built Valiants and Kestrels to imported
or otherwise acquired Defenders and Bloodhawks. Since 1934, the unit has also
had its own airship, the Hannibal Lee,
a heavily armed and armored carrier with
2.5 million cubic feet of gas capacity. The squadron is based in Atlanta, but
operates all along the Confederacys northern border.
The Winged Knights was originally an all-white squadron, but the
Squadrons leader Colonel Beauregard Rapier Travis -- took the unusual step
of integrating the unit within weeks of taking command. His time in Appalachia
opened his eyes to societys inequalities, after which he swore to judge people
on merit alone. Though integration caused some resentment within the Confederate
Air Force, the success of the unit has silenced all but the most bigoted
critics. Indeed, Travis has thrown out several individuals who sought entry
into the unit with blatantly fabricated credentials. He sees his squadron as a
finely honed instrument of war that stands for honesty, integrity and courage,
not as a social club for Atlantas dilettantes.