Definition
The rise in temperature of an aircraft's surface caused by friction with the air and by the compression of air as the aircraft moves through it at high speed. The faster the aircraft, the greater the heating effect, becoming a significant structural concern at high subsonic, transonic, and especially supersonic speeds.
Plain English
When an aircraft flies very fast, the air rubbing against and being squeezed in front of it heats the airframe up. The faster the aircraft goes, the hotter its skin gets.
Context Anchor
Seen in high-speed flight, turbine aircraft, supersonic flight, reentry discussions, and aircraft design limits.
Derivation
Aerodynamic comes from the Greek 'aer' (air) and 'dynamis' (force or power) -- so it refers to forces produced by air in motion. Heating is simply the rise in temperature. Together: heat caused by the forces of moving air.
Why Pilots Care
Affects material choice, structural limits, and cooling requirements on high-speed aircraft; unchecked heating can weaken components or change flight characteristics.
Analogy
If you hold your hand out of a car window, you can feel the air push against it. At aircraft speeds, especially very high speeds, that air force can also create noticeable heat on the surface it strikes.
Grounding Statement
Picture fast-moving air being forced to slow down at the aircraft’s surface; some of that motion becomes heat.
Intuition Check
Aerodynamic heating is not heat from the engine or the sun. It is heat caused by the aircraft’s motion through the air.
Example Sentence 1
At cruise speeds above Mach 2, aerodynamic heating raised the skin temperature of the Concorde enough to make the airframe stretch several inches in flight.
Example Sentence 2
Engineers added extra insulation to the leading edges to protect against aerodynamic heating on the new supersonic trainer.