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A high-Reynolds number long-wave mode near a wall has a viscous layer of thickness $\delta =(\alpha R{)}^{-1/3}$, an order-one region following the base profile, and a pressure-decay region of thickness $1/\alpha$. The lower Airy function solution fixes velocity displacement and fluid pressure. The middle Rayleigh equation for inviscid shear flow transports these to the outer constant-velocity region. Matching its decaying pressure produces an Airy wall-layer matching determinant. For order-one amplitudes, constant leading middle pressure requires ${\alpha }^2\ll \delta$; the distinguished balance $\alpha \sim \delta$ gives $\alpha \sim R^{-1/4}$.

For a nonreal regular Rayleigh equation for inviscid shear flow mode vanishing at the walls, put $F=\hat{w}/(U-c)$. The equation becomes $[(U-c{)}^2{F}^{\prime }{]}^{\prime }-k^2(U-c{)}^{2}F=0$. Multiplication by $\overline{F}$ and integration by parts gives the displayed identity. With $Q=|F^{\prime }{|}^2+k^2|F{|}^2$, its imaginary and real parts give $\int UQ=c_r\int Q$ and $\int U^{2}Q=|c{|}^2\int Q$. Since $(U-U_{\min })(U_{\max }-U)\ge 0$, these imply Howard's semicircle theorem.