But what's important is the behavior of the airflow at the point where it hits the surface and is forced to both compress and diverge. That's where the majority of the heat is presumably generated, right? Maybe that's where I'm misunderstanding the issue.
That heat is created by compression, not by friction.
And I would not automatically say that's where the majority is. Some is created there from compression, some from friction by flowing along the length of the ship.
