Ground effect in aircraft

Have you ever blown a balloon and then let it go without tying the end? What happens? It flutters around near the ground, right? This is because of something called ground effect.

In airplanes, ground effect is when the air underneath the airplane gets squeezed between the wings and the ground. This makes the air pressure higher, which helps the airplane stay in the air more easily. It's kind of like when you hold a ball underwater and then let go - it shoots up to the surface quickly.

When a plane is flying higher in the sky, there's nothing blocking the air flow underneath the wings, so it has to work harder to stay up. But when it's close to the ground, it can use the ground effect to help it fly more smoothly.

Pilots have to be careful when they're taking off or landing, though. If they come in too low or slow, they might lose the ground effect and the plane could crash. But as long as they stay within the right distance from the ground, they'll be able to use ground effect to make their flight smoother and safer!