During landing, ground effect may cause which effect?

• A. Floating effect
• B. Increased stall speed
• C. Increased lift
• D. Reduced sink rate

Answer: (A)

Ground effect happens when the wing is very close to the surface, typically within about a wingspan. The air beneath the wing can’t spread downward as freely, which weakens the wingtip vortices and reduces downwash. As a result, for the same airspeed and angle of attack, lift increases and induced drag decreases. On approach and flare, this often makes the airplane feel like it’s “floating” over the runway—the descent slows more than expected and the aircraft may require careful timing to touch down. So the floating sensation is the best single description of what ground effect does during landing. While increased lift and a reduced sink rate are real parts of the effect, the overall noticeable outcome pilots describe is this floating tendency.