Charts the evolutionary course of aviation history by highlighting in detail the most important inventions and pivotal developments along with their creators. — Traces the history of technological innovations in aviation, from the Wright Flyer to the stealth bomber, and highlights the achievements of individual inventors

Boyne surveys innovation from the Lilienthal glider experiments down to the present day of military, commercial and general aviation…the "artist-inventors" themselves as well as their inventions, many of whom are unknown to the public: Charles Kirkham, a seminal figure in the development of the aircraft engine, for instance, and Frank Whittle, who conceived the idea of combining a turbine with a compressor to create the jet engine. Several pages are given over to the ultralight movement, including Paul MacCready's gossamer-winged, human-powered vehicle.
An unfolding drama of success and failure, of the excitement of inventors at work, of the lure and lust for faster, lighter, and stronger airplanes, The Leading Edge is a remarkable history of the new ideas in aviation technology and the gains we have realized because of them.